Transformers Masterpiece Movie MPM-13 Blackout Turnaround Videos & Comments By Hasbro Designer Sam Smith

Posted on May 3, 2022 at 10:47 pm by Black Convoy under All News

Hasbro’s designer Sam Smith, via his Instagram account, has treated us with some great turnaround videos of the recently revealed Masterpiece Movie MPM-13 Blackout.

We have not only two 360-view videos of Blackout in robot and alt mode but an extra video featuring Scorponok. To top it all, Sam is also sharing very interesting comments about the development of the Masterpiece version of one of the most well-remembered Decepticons from the live-action movies.

Update: Sam Smith have just uploaded a set of CAD file comparison images of MPM Blackout and SS Blackout/Grindor for those wondering about scale.

Not much left to say, so you click on each title to watch Blackout robot mode video, Blackout alt mode video and Scorponok video. Alternatively, you can watch a YouTube mirror after the jump together with Sam’s comments after the jump.

*Comments from 360 robot mode video

MPM-13 Movie Masterpiece TF1 Blackout

“Blackout incoming… All hail Megatron!”

Im thrilled to officially share the US debut of MPM Blackout. This was such a fun character to develop with Tomo Tatsumi at Takara Tomorrow. Blackout was by far my favorite design from the first Transformers film, and it was great to get the chance to contribute to an all new version of the figure.

This bot mode is loaded with articulation, fine textures, painted mechanical working, weathering and never before used details. We tried pulling out all the stops to set this figure apart from the Studio Series Release. There are so many exposed tech panels, where we were able to treat the figure with metallic washes and dry brush effects, while also highlighting some awesome copper details to really make them pop. Every piece of dark exposed metallic plastic, was treated with some level of weathering to capture the distressed movie look.

I think the detailing that I was most excited for the on robot mode have to be the subtle additions to the face (yellow pin striping over the eyebrows) along with the “NO STEP” printed on the tops of his hands, as you see him reaching for the server unit inside of the base.

As we make our way to the weaponry, this Blackout is geared up. The figure includes dual mind guns which can be utilized in both robot and vehicle modes, along with a rotating chest port to reveal the chest cannon that he uses in the airfare base. Additionally Blackout includes 2 all new PVC blast effects which use our 3mm post system, and can be plugged into any of these weapon locations.

Lastly, he includes his screen accurate arm mounted rotor blades, with a rotating top surface to alternate between the helicopter accurate face, vs the robot weaponized surface.

Stand tuned for more details when I cover off on a traditional Screen to Toy breakdown for MPM Blackout.

*Comments from 360 alt mode video

MPM-13 Movie Masterpiece TF1 Blackout

“Sir, it says here 4500X was shot down three months ago in Afghanistan.”
“That’s got to be a mistake, check again then re-check”

There is so much detail on the vehicle mode for Blackout, and it was great to have a format to help bring some of those details to life. Blackout is based on a licensed Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low helicopter (USAF REG 4500X). As far as the helicopter is concerned, it is the most accurate representation that we have ever taken on. It features an enclosed finished bottom to the hull, a function cargo ramp (to store Scorponok) articulating tail fin, rotors and fuel rod and landing gear.

Did I mention that this helicopter is massive? 21.5 inches long from end to end vs the Studio Series version at 17.5. and it has the ability to stow like a real MH-53.

The alt mode also features green tinted overhead windows to help cut down on the glare for the pilots, yellow window gaskets, and painted cabin windows along the full hull. From all the latch release, no step, pilot markings, lighting, and engine pin striping. I did my best to capture everything that we see in the film. There were so many compelling fine details that we discovered while sifting through thousands of Maya texture files, and it was great to see them applied to the helicopter.

Stand tuned for more details when I cover off on a traditional Screen to Toy breakdown for MPM Blackout

*Comments from 360 Scorponok video

MPM-13 Movie Masterpiece TF1 Scorponok

“NO, I DON’T HAVE A CREDIT CARD!!”

You can’t have Blackout with out Scorponok. A great companion piece, with some nice die-cast to the torso to add some heft the the character. Scorponok stows nicely into the rear storage compartment of helicopter.

His body is equipped with 10points of articulation, and he gets a good amount of bronze metallic paint to help accentuate some of his sculpted detail. At 5.5” long he’s a pretty sizable companion addition to the pack.

Stand tuned for more details when I cover off on a traditional Screen to Toy breakdown for MPM Blackout.

Transformers Masterpiece Movie MPM-13 Blackout Turnaround Videos & Comments By Hasbro Designer Sam Smith - Additional Images

Discussion / Comments (Jump to this Thread on the Boards)

I’m pretty sure the flaps that sit up against Blackout’s rotor in the stock images are supposed to be that way. The Studio Series kind of just has them sit flushly against kibble, but that’s more of an inaccurate approximation for a retail figure. The actual ILM render has the detail straight up and sitting against the sides of the rotor like the MPM.
View attachment 29510124

So I always wondered why they didn’t include a emp cannon on this, then I realized after looking over the movie, the first scene doesn’t truly show where it fires from then I saw the death scene and it literally comes from his fist
View attachment 29509952 And I always have thought since I was a kid, that he had a emp gun or something but nah, he has powers Ig lol

Just randomly came across this old 07' Commercial. Blackout just obliterating an innocent mans car for no conceivable reason :lolol :

Decagon

Absolutely. Bayverse BB is just My Guy because he's the Bee I grew up loving.

And Knightverse BB takes his look and simplifies it to a very nice degree, while still retaining a lot of the DNA from his Bayverse designs. turning him into an adorable little Junebug. They also did a great job portraying him as a capable warrior despite just how small he is when compared to the others.

Also, just for fun: Here's some early Bayverse Bee head designs:

If your eyes bled while looking at those, then I apologize. Here's one closest to his final design though. I really like the narrowed eyes.

That last one is better than what we got. He looks so much less creepy with actual eyes instead of big round "puppy dog" skull eyes

Decagon

I really question why he didn't end up as Soundwave though. Their whole idea behind a Live Action Soundwave was kinda clever in hindsight. Big ol' transport Aircraft flying overhead, dropping a bunch of Decepti-Minions on the ground to deal with Humans and Bots while he attacks from afar, as well as the whole EMP weapon thing.

Yeah, it doesn't lend itself to his inherently Music related roots, but it's still a pretty neat idea. That and trying to translate Cassette-Wave into a realistic environment couldn't have not looked silly, so they clearly thought around that.

100% with you here. He should’ve been Soundwave, full stop. One of the things that negatively affected the movies was a certain amount of indecision. Things changing, names jumping around. It would have been nice if the goal was locked in, and more focus could have bene spent polishing the road toward it.

Also, as for Soundwave’s “music” roots, he was a micro-cassette recorder, not a Walkman. He was a device used primarily for recording people, which seems so much more appropriate for his character. I’m not 100% the writers recognized this or not, but music was never really that big a thing for him in G1, beyond fan perceptions.

Decagon

Here's some extra opinions I originally wanted to state but didn't cuz TLDR:

The 80's setting was a great choice. I think overall that the 80's Aesthetic is pretty played out in entertainment these day.
(And because I was born in the early 2000's so I of course have no attachment to the 80's)
But setting this film in the specific time period of which TF originated was a great idea all around.

I like Hailee Steinfeld by default, so I liked Charlie regardless. I appreciate that they allowed her and BB to part ways maturely, because spending the rest of your life running from Alien robots doesn't sound fun, Lmao.

The Combat is excellent. I honestly never had any trouble following Bayverse fight scenes, as much as some folk like to latch onto that point. But the combat in BBM is fantastic, it's so very fluid and cohesive. What I love the most is their creative usage of transformation in a fight. We need MORE of that everywhere.

Transforming isn't just something Cybertronians "do", it's a part of their blummin' biology, as TFP Scream kinda put it. Showing things like them controlling their transformation speed from taking a few moments, to a fraction of a second, showing them partially transform to fit into different spaces, etc. Just.. more of that please. Their alt modes aren't just convenient transportation.

Dropkick Yeeting Bee across the field, followed by Bee reversing it by using the ensuing momentum to transform, turn right around then launch himself back into the fray, shit like that is excellent.

I hate how they treated Peter Cullen. He's such a friendly and wise man whose deserving of the respect that voicing the red and blue childhood hero of thousands has brought him.

The fact that they practically hung him out to dry for this film pisses me off to no end. I'm familiar with Jon Bailey from all the Screen Junkies vids I used to watch as a kid, and he's a good voice actor as is. That being said, I don't like his Soundwave or Optimus impressions at all. His Shockwave impression is fkn spot on though, I was genuinely surprised that it wasn't Corey Burton voicing Shocky.

But his Optimus and Soundwave voices are just.. No. They both sound like he's trying a little too hard to sound like them without succeeding at it nearly as well as he does with his Shockwave voice. They originally used him as the voice of OP in the BBM because they didn't wanna pay how much Peter was asking for, but apparently it didn't workout because they brought Peter on anyway.

Jon's Optimus impression is Good, but that's the thing, it sounds too much like an impression. It comes off as unnatural because he's forcing himself to sound like Peter which is why it doesn't work for me. Peter Cullen IS Optimus Prime through and through. The fact that they made him imitate someone doing an impression of his very own voice in order to circumvent paying the man what he's owed is the goofiest shit I've ever heard.

Optimus can of course have his own identity outside of Peter's voice if he's given a talented enough voice actor, shout-out to the homie David Kaye. But if you want the default and iconic Optimus Prime voice: Get Peter, or just don't bother at all. Pete didn't deserve to be treated the way he was after dedicating so much of his ever lessening life into this long beloved character.

This also reminds me of a silly TF1 audio Birthday card I got as a kid. I'd open it and hear Peter's legendary voice going "I am Optimus Prime", followed by the most generic deep voice impression of him from some random guy, going: "AND I WISH YEW A HAPPY BURTHDAY"

Certified Bruh Moment.

Absolutely yes to just about all that (I don’t really know the Peter Cullen situation). The transformations in particular were fun. Some of them were silly, but it was more interesting than the sort of nonsense we got under Bay, such as characters sitting in their vehicle modes doing absolutely nothing while the action goes on around them. The fluidity of it all was incredible.

The first Bay movie was good, and established some interesting visual cues – they leak blue fluid (energon, I guess) whenever they actually take damage. Watch it back and you’ll see it’s pretty consistent; a nice visual shorthand to let you know when they’re just getting shot at uselessly, and when they’re under threat. Of course, by the second movie that was replaced with blood spewing everywhere.

Datsun87

To this day, I still think Starscream's 07 attack on the Raptor squadron is the best live action adaptation of how a seasoned Transformer should actually fight. That wasn't just a spectacular dog fight, it was guerrilla warfare in mid air.

Now as far as Blackout goes, while we didn't actually see it used in action, there was something about the way he just rips his rotor off while stalking Prime that just felt visceral and medieval. Like we just saw how effortlessly Prime beheaded Bonecrusher yet Blackout, a con armed to the teeth with enough ranged firepower to level a base, still defaults to a freaking Decepticon chain saw as his first weapon against Prime. Sorry but that kind of confidence is the equivalent of hitman cracking his knuckles in excitement while approaching freaking Batman from behind.

I can't wait for this MPM.

never thought of it that way before. That just made him all the more brutal

Looks like he's about to scratch his arse here.
View attachment 29507128

Decagon

The Combat is excellent. I honestly never had any trouble following Bayverse fight scenes, as much as some folk like to latch onto that point. But the combat in BBM is fantastic, it's so very fluid and cohesive. What I love the most is their creative usage of transformation in a fight. We need MORE of that everywhere.

Transforming isn't just something Cybertronians "do", it's a part of their blummin' biology, as TFP Scream kinda put it. Showing things like them controlling their transformation speed from taking a few moments, to a fraction of a second, showing them partially transform to fit into different spaces, etc. Just.. more of that please. Their alt modes aren't just convenient transportation.

To this day, I still think Starscream's 07 attack on the Raptor squadron is the best live action adaptation of how a seasoned Transformer should actually fight. That wasn't just a spectacular dog fight, it was guerrilla warfare in mid air.

Now as far as Blackout goes, while we didn't actually see it used in action, there was something about the way he just rips his rotor off while stalking Prime that just felt visceral and medieval. Like we just saw how effortlessly Prime beheaded Bonecrusher yet Blackout, a con armed to the teeth with enough ranged firepower to level a base, still defaults to a freaking Decepticon chain saw as his first weapon against Prime. Sorry but that kind of confidence is the equivalent of hitman cracking his knuckles in excitement while approaching freaking Batman from behind.

I can't wait for this MPM.

Personally this mp is dead to me now, I finally got a ss one with the dna kit not for some insane amount, and I’m just gonna be happy with that

I just feel like there is a lot wrong with this mp but who knows it may be better when it fully releases

Decagon

Yeah, a lot of early Bayverse stuff is uber rough looking, but I like all the stuff they came up with in a retrospective sorta way when comparing it all to what we all saw once it was all finalized.

Although, Beebles' early design from when the BB Movie was still in "Prequel" status is fucking hideous and I hate it.

his shoulders are literally a bot on their own jesus christ that looks bad
as for blackout he is looks fantastic and i am glad they did him justice especially compared to his amazing studio series. the feet are my only issue with it but its nuts how they literally gave him a kibbleless copter mode. also while nitpicky i wish scorponok had more articulation because like come on

Guys the concept art is cool but let’s keep this thread on topic about the figure please. Or at least Blackout himself. Looks like the thread sorta course-corrected already, but sending this reminder anyway

TF Hot Rod

Just BBM's Cybertron is a bit more closer to how Cybertron was in G1. Not that DOTM Cybertron is bad or worse just BB's is going for how Cybertron it's depicted (usually) in G1.

Now you said the whole thing. Bay Cybertron doesn't look like G1 Cybertron

octobotimus

Dang blackout went from all sorts of names. Super Stallion, Devestator, incinerator, Soundwave at some point. A bot of many names.

Also called of big daddy at night

LSSJPrime

Holy fuck do I ever agree with this. With very few exceptions (like Bumblebee vs. Rampage), the combat and action in Bayformers is some of the best ever put to film. Michael Bay just gets action and spectacle, which is honestly something that not a lot of directors can boast about. A very large chunk of my childhood was spent re-watching the Transformers fight scenes on YouTube over and over again. It's crazy how much detail and attention goes into those fights, and I'm not kidding when I say that I still discover new quirks about them a decade later. The ROTF forest fight is probably my single favorite piece of big-budget Hollywood action… possibly ever? Perhaps its tied with the Smallville fight in Man of Steel, but holy hell is that forest sequence just fucking perfect. I recreated that fight all the time with not just Transformers toys but other toys from different franchises because one good guy taking on three bad guys and somehow coming out on top was genuinely one of the coolest things I ever saw as a 9-year-old and could apply to pretty much any franchise that appealed to young boys.

Careful, any praise bayformers gets will invite some unwanted pointless debate.

Anyway, mpm blackout looks fantastic.

octobotimus

I thought that was a fan design. No way that ugly thing is what was actually planned.

It's concept art, just by someone who used 3D models rather than drawings and photo collages iirc.

Decagon

I really question why he didn't end up as Soundwave though. Their whole idea behind a Live Action Soundwave was kinda clever in hindsight. Big ol' transport Aircraft flying overhead, dropping a bunch of Decepti-Minions on the ground to deal with Humans and Bots while he attacks from afar, as well as the whole EMP weapon thing.

Yeah, it doesn't lend itself to his inherently Music related roots, but it's still a pretty neat idea. That and trying to translate Cassette-Wave into a realistic environment couldn't have not looked silly, so they clearly thought around that.

He was going to be, at a super early point. Then they wanted him to be a boombox as a nod to the original, and also gave him the ability to mass shift into a humvee. This eventually became Frenzy and Barricade, though Frenzy kept the Soundwave name for a long time. One of those early fan upsets.

Decagon

The Combat is excellent. I honestly never had any trouble following Bayverse fight scenes, as much as some folk like to latch onto that point. But the combat in BBM is fantastic, it's so very fluid and cohesive. What I love the most is their creative usage of transformation in a fight. We need MORE of that everywhere.

Holy fuck do I ever agree with this. With very few exceptions (like Bumblebee vs. Rampage), the combat and action in Bayformers is some of the best ever put to film. Michael Bay just gets action and spectacle, which is honestly something that not a lot of directors can boast about. A very large chunk of my childhood was spent re-watching the Transformers fight scenes on YouTube over and over again. It's crazy how much detail and attention goes into those fights, and I'm not kidding when I say that I still discover new quirks about them a decade later. The ROTF forest fight is probably my single favorite piece of big-budget Hollywood action… possibly ever? Perhaps its tied with the Smallville fight in Man of Steel, but holy hell is that forest sequence just fucking perfect. I recreated that fight all the time with not just Transformers toys but other toys from different franchises because one good guy taking on three bad guys and somehow coming out on top was genuinely one of the coolest things I ever saw as a 9-year-old and could apply to pretty much any franchise that appealed to young boys.

Decagon

Peter Cullen IS Optimus Prime through and through.

A-fucking-men, and quite frankly anyone that even dares to insinuate otherwise is just beyond disrespectful. The man is Optimus Prime, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Okay now BACK ON TOPIC FOLKS THIS IS AN MPM BLACKOUT THREAD :>

LSSJPrime

You and I pretty much share the exact same opinions to a tee. I absolutely agree with everything you said.

Here's some extra opinions I originally wanted to state but didn't cuz TLDR:

The 80's setting was a great choice. I think overall that the 80's Aesthetic is pretty played out in entertainment these day.
(And because I was born in the early 2000's so I of course have no attachment to the 80's)
But setting this film in the specific time period of which TF originated was a great idea all around.

I like Hailee Steinfeld by default, so I liked Charlie regardless. I appreciate that they allowed her and BB to part ways maturely, because spending the rest of your life running from Alien robots doesn't sound fun, Lmao.

The Combat is excellent. I honestly never had any trouble following Bayverse fight scenes, as much as some folk like to latch onto that point. But the combat in BBM is fantastic, it's so very fluid and cohesive. What I love the most is their creative usage of transformation in a fight. We need MORE of that everywhere.

Transforming isn't just something Cybertronians "do", it's a part of their blummin' biology, as TFP Scream kinda put it. Showing things like them controlling their transformation speed from taking a few moments, to a fraction of a second, showing them partially transform to fit into different spaces, etc. Just.. more of that please. Their alt modes aren't just convenient transportation.

Dropkick Yeeting Bee across the field, followed by Bee reversing it by using the ensuing momentum to transform, turn right around then launch himself back into the fray, shit like that is excellent.

I hate how they treated Peter Cullen. He's such a friendly and wise man whose deserving of the respect that voicing the red and blue childhood hero of thousands has brought him.

The fact that they practically hung him out to dry for this film pisses me off to no end. I'm familiar with Jon Bailey from all the Screen Junkies vids I used to watch as a kid, and he's a good voice actor as is. That being said, I don't like his Soundwave or Optimus impressions at all. His Shockwave impression is fkn spot on though, I was genuinely surprised that it wasn't Corey Burton voicing Shocky.

But his Optimus and Soundwave voices are just.. No. They both sound like he's trying a little too hard to sound like them without succeeding at it nearly as well as he does with his Shockwave voice. They originally used him as the voice of OP in the BBM because they didn't wanna pay how much Peter was asking for, but apparently it didn't workout because they brought Peter on anyway.

Jon's Optimus impression is Good, but that's the thing, it sounds too much like an impression. It comes off as unnatural because he's forcing himself to sound like Peter which is why it doesn't work for me. Peter Cullen IS Optimus Prime through and through. The fact that they made him imitate someone doing an impression of his very own voice in order to circumvent paying the man what he's owed is the goofiest shit I've ever heard.

Optimus can of course have his own identity outside of Peter's voice if he's given a talented enough voice actor, shout-out to the homie David Kaye. But if you want the default and iconic Optimus Prime voice: Get Peter, or just don't bother at all. Pete didn't deserve to be treated the way he was after dedicating so much of his ever lessening life into this long beloved character.

This also reminds me of a silly TF1 audio Birthday card I got as a kid. I'd open it and hear Peter's legendary voice going "I am Optimus Prime", followed by the most generic deep voice impression of him from some random guy, going: "AND I WISH YEW A HAPPY BURTHDAY"

Certified Bruh Moment.

Decagon

Since we're talking about the Live Action franchise as a whole, I'll throw in my just cuz. Incoming TLDR.

As a Bayverse fan through and through, I'm aware that Mikey Boom Boom is a bit of a Jackass, and that the films as a whole are supremely questionable quality wise. But I can't help but love em' because they obviously appealed to what the average little boy (like me at the time.) in the mid 2000's wanted to see: Big Robos doing the fisticuffs.

And because I recognize that there was most certainly some care put into certain aspects of what was at the time a new Iteration of this ongoing franchise, be it in all of the Practical effects, Steve Jablonsky's fucking masterful work on the Score for each film, and the leaps and bounds put into the still absolutely incredible CGI that has barely aged if at all.

Overall, I much prefer the original Bay Trilogy. AOE was the last film I saw in theaters and I thought it was just okay. TLK is the only one I consider to be a complete mess in nearly every aspect, moreso than ROTF imo.

When it comes to the BB Movie, I'm super middle of the road about it in a lot of ways. I think it's a great film through and through. Travis Knight absolutely put his blood, sweat and tears into it. Literally the only reason it didn't gross as high as the previous films is because of the damage TLK did, which finally caused most General Audiences to not give a Truck about anything TF related going forward. I'm still glad it succeeded enough to receive a sequel, even if I am iffy about them so suddenly leaping into Beast Wars territory when we haven't even seen or heard from Knightverse Megs yet.

I'm 50/50 on the designs. I love the most obvious ones, y'know: BB/Cliff, Dropkick, Shatter, Blitz. I love them because they take the Bayverse complexity and streamline it and end up almost developing their own identities separate from both Bay & G1 designs.

And now, (I'm probably gonna get Shot for this.) I don't really care for most of the G1 Centric designs. Yes, I know, "BAY-BITCHBOY DON'T LIKE G1, WHO WOULDA THOUGHT." I think that they all are objectively great Designs all around, but I feel like most of them are a result of being too afraid to deviate from the source material. Now, I'm not saying: "change stuff just for the sake of it", but y'know, mix it up a little. Just like the designs I previously mentioned. Granted, almost all of the Cybertron designs were last minute, so in that regard: They did a magnificent job with the minimal time they had. And with that being said, I do like Arcee and Soundwave's designs, but that's about it.

I also feel like a portion of the BB Movie's good faith is hinged solely on those designs and nothing else. Sounds disingenuous I know, but I have seen a notable amount of folk solely look at the designs and go "OMG, G1!! 10/10 FIVE STARS" while simultaneously not giving a Rattraps ass about anything else that the film legitimately did better than the Bay movies. And it certainly did do most things a lot better than Bayverse, I'm not afraid to admit that at all. Not to mention that in my opinion, the Knight designs kinda needed the Bay designs as a basis for a Live Action TF adaptation. The 07' designs obviously could've been more G1-esque, but I sincerely doubt that they would've come out nearly as great as the Knight designs did, for what was at the time: The first attempt at Realistic Transformers.

You and I pretty much share the exact same opinions to a tee. I absolutely agree with everything you said.

octobotimus

Dang blackout went from all sorts of names. Super Stallion, Devestator, incinerator, Soundwave at some point. A bot of many names.

I really question why he didn't end up as Soundwave though. Their whole idea behind a Live Action Soundwave was kinda clever in hindsight. Big ol' transport Aircraft flying overhead, dropping a bunch of Decepti-Minions on the ground to deal with Humans and Bots while he attacks from afar, as well as the whole EMP weapon thing.

Yeah, it doesn't lend itself to his inherently Music related roots, but it's still a pretty neat idea. That and trying to translate Cassette-Wave into a realistic environment couldn't have not looked silly, so they clearly thought around that.