New third party MPH Studio have updated their Weibo account with images of the color prototype of their new MPH-02 Commander (Legends Scale G1 Optimus Prime).
This another entry for the competitive Legends scale market with a new mold made of 120 parts (according to the Weibo post), fully poseable and cartoon-accurate in both modes. It will feature an opening chest with a removable Matrix, alternate chest windows, blaster and battle axe. We have shots in both modes plus comparison pics next to other Legends scale Optimus Prime figures for you to see the scale.
See all the mirrored images after the jump and then sound off your impressions on the 2005 Boards!
Warpshard
Also got a copy of Toxitron in a couple days ago, his QC isn't that great but I don't think I can complain too much for $30. My biggest issue is that his left arm can't hold itself up basically at all, and the bowing in the window frame in vehicle mode is really bad. Plus I accidentally lost the window for the right side door in vehicle mode, I probably won't transform this guy too much but still kind of annoying (even if it's mainly my fault). EDIT: I found it, it's such a tiny piece that it's a miracle.
And something I haven't really seen pointed out, his pointing hand looks less like pointing and more like devil horns or Spider-Man throwing a web.
Theosaurus
Got my toxitron in. And yeah pretty much everything magicube said. Overall he feels like a cheaper version of the Magic Square design. Transformation is fairly similar, though I guess there are only so many ways to do a G1 prime. Overall for the price and the sheer ambition and audacity of making this figure I think its worth getting.
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TIKnTIN
have been holding out to see if things i. proved to possibly grab one. but the cab windshields on the alt mode still looks bad on the new decos to me. they don't look level and flush. i particularly don't like that there's a "halo" around the frame with insufficient paint on them to cover the clear plastic, so the red really shows through on toxitron and blue on magnus. oh well, money saved for other 3p purchases i guess.
magicube
I’ve had some time to try out all of the repaints. My thoughts remain the same. MPH did a much better job with these figures than the original release. There are still some issues but I think they can be endured since they cost ~$30.
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Each of them comes with the same accessories as the first release. Three sets of hands (closed, grabbing, pointing), an axe, rifle (with two barrels, I’ve learned the shorter one is apparently to reference the original G1 toy) and the matrix. They are however, missing the holographic card. Interesting, they all have different designs than depicted on the art.
The knees and forward facing hip joints are all tight and have the unknown substance applied. The arms feel loose but are strong enough to hold a pose which is good considering he is very well articulated.
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Some negatives: The chest window frames do seem a little warped but nothing as bad as the replacement torso. The biggest issue is that the grill abdomen has some trouble staying pegged in. Essentially any time you want to do an ab crunch, you have to hold the chest in place or otherwise the window frames will unpeg. In alt mode, it can be difficult for all of the panels to fit together straight. My best advice is to ensure that the cab doors are pushed as far inward as you can make them. Perhaps my biggest frustration is that when you do transform, the side windows pop out very easily. The mirrors are quite large and fit on their hinges loosely. They also like to fall off during transformation and they tend to bump into the window pieces, popping them out. I’ll likely try to glue these in place.
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The positive news is that I feel very confident about transforming them without breaking anything. The chest window frames are flexible and move without issue. As I mentioned before, there are no issues with color matching as well. The paint applied to their heads could be better applied though.
Although the materials have improved, the transformation is still far more complex than it needs to be. I personally think the opening cab door gimmick is kind of ridiculous at this scale and the mold would have been better off without it. The side mirrors only exist to cover up the gap left by the doors in the upper chest in robot mode. They are oversized and a bit of a nuisance. I would have preferred them to be pinned or removed entirely. There is also no way to peg the legs/truck bed into the cab which feels a bit awkward.
He doesn’t feel as premium as the other 3rd party figures and is quite light in hand. I don’t feel like I’m going to break anything but its noticeably different than something like Magic Square or Newage and others may think this figure feels "cheap" in hand.
Overall though, I really enjoy the sculpt in both modes. I think it’s an impressive design considering that MPH is a one person operation (I assume) and I am happy to support them. I would be thrilled to get other repaints and think it’s likely we see ones of Nemesis and Shattered Glass. It’s actually quite surprising that we got Toxitron before either of those two. I’m excited to get Warpath and to see other characters released from them!
Toxitron:
Sleep Mode:
Ultra Magnus:
Theosaurus
Good to hear most of the issues seem to be fixed! I think I'm gonna grab myself a Toxitron
magicube
The repaints arrived today.
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I’ve only had the time to briefly open Toxitron.
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And so far, it’s been a good experience! The issues with the first release have been largely been resolved. The torso is made of a more flexible but still solid material. There are no visible sprew marks or distorted parts. The pins appear to be the right length as well.
There are no color matching issues either.
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The leg joints are noticeably tighter and I realized MPH applied some kind of substance to the joints.
Overall I’m pretty pleased with the release! He’s not perfect. There is some missing paint on his eyes but for the price, I think I can handle it. I’ll post more photos later.
magicube
I ordered the repaints and will certainly share my thoughts on their quality when they arrive. At the end of the day, they are ~$30 so even with the faults, it’s a great price for the figure.
Warpshard
I'd not actually seen this guy's transformation before, it's pretty interesting. I particularly like the simple way they handle the legs. However, those windows still do not look like a fun transformation even with the nylon. The way they're just naturally flexing in vehicle mode looks really ugly, as well as being a bit scary knowing the previous issues with this mold's window hinges (even if it's already made of significantly more flexible nylon from the start this time around). Hopefully Toxitron reviews well, I'd like to try this mold out and Toxitron being a short little gremlin compared to my other Legends Optimus molds appeals to me. But not if the figure is destined to fall apart just from standard transformation.
daimchoc
magicube
MPH fixed the broken hinge issues by making the torso in softer nylon plastic. However, these new torsos were riddled with poor QC (misshapen plastic, sprew marks, etc) and had bad color matching with the original parts. I think these new issues were a result of MPH rushing to get any kind of “fix” out for the broken hinges as fast as they could and putting less emphasis on QC.
In theory future releases should fix both the old and new issues because they are being designed with the new materials/design from the beginning and are in no rush to solve an existing problem.
TIKnTIN
sorry, i still don't quite follow… are you saying if they release the new decos with the similar nylon torso, it would be fine and you'd be good with that? or are you saying you believe they will also fix the "other" issues that you say are worse than the torso issue that got the free fix, that weren't addressed as well?
Warpshard
It's like some of these companies are tapped right into my consciousness, I swear. I like having what are traditionally "obligatory" repaints as separate molds sometimes, I find it hard to justify a NewAge Toxitron when I'm planning on picking up NewAge Prime real soon. But Toxitron from another mold might be up my alley…
That being said, though, the knowledge that this is a pretty flawed mold that got a half-assed "fix" is really unfortunate. I would love to pick up this Toxitron but from the sounds of it, way smarter to wait for other people to take the plunge first.
magicube
I’m of the belief that the replacement torsos were a quick and easy solution that MPH put very low effort in because it was free. It was just a bandaid solution. They did fix the issues of the original but had separate issues that IMO were worse. Had I have paid for that torso originally, I would have been very dissatisfied but I can’t imagine they will release a paid product with the same low QC as free replacement parts. I expect them to use Nylon/softer plastic on the repaints but without as many sprew marks and misshapen parts.
RameezTheElite
I guess we'll have to see how the new versions hold up. I tried giving the mold some love, I actually LOVE the sculpt itself and the accesories in particular are so well done, BUT….The window chest shattering and the colors not matching up for the upgrade kit really left a bad taste in my mouth.
TIKnTIN
@RameezTheElite @magicube so what is it, did the replacement parts fix the issues with the figure or didn't it???
if they didn't, @magicube what makes you think they'll address the issues with these new announced decos?
i wanted to like and get this as it looked to have promise. but so from what i could tell, the consensus is that it hasn't really been worth getting.
however, i do have to admit that toxitron and death(?) prime looks pretty good in the promo shots.
magicube
Saying these figures aren’t worth buying at all is a bit harsh. It’s a fun design and I’m willing to give them another shot to correct their mistakes. The replacement parts were made as quickly and as cheaply as possible, probably since they were free. We haven’t seen the revised design or materials for a paid product yet and so far there are no identifiable issues from the promo photos.
RameezTheElite
These look great BUT MPH has not addressed their sheer disregard for releasing a faulty product, and then hastily releasing an upgrade kit that is arguably worse. None of these are worth buying other than the accessories and hands they come with.
Zodiac1968340
Sina Visitor System
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VVa
Cool. My copy came in a bit late at night so these pictures will be crusty!
I got him because he's a good looking Prime and I figured he would look good next to MFT-48 Maggy. View attachment 30264743And yeah! I think they look good paired up, and you may say Magnus is too tall, but I think he should be considering he's a whole semi & car carrier. And consistently has been unlike MotorMaster. At least when Magnus hasn't been just a white Prime.
I also think he looks good next to Revoltech DOTM Prime. Again the scale would be wonky but G1 Prime's height has stated to be 22ft, while Bayverse Prime is 28ft, so it kinda works? View attachment 30264745
But anyway, the quality of the figure is decent. Only complaint is his arm swivels are loose but that can be fixed easy. Came with all a G1 Prime needs and to look this good, this small for $22 – I can't complain much.
VVa
Guess we'll see how it goes for me. Won't be a huge loss if I end up hating it!
I always handle my bots as if they're egg shells, I should be fine if gravity doesn't fuck me over again.
But glad to see the Magic's held up for you.
Update: it seems like he's already at the LA airport?? I only ordered him a couple days ago!