See, Sean, I've thought about that, too, but I'm too worried that I'll never have enough characters to have what I feel would be a "complete representation." Now combining some MP figures with various Henkei figures makes sense to me. MP for larger characters, such as Prime and Megatron, and Henkei for Bumblebee and Wheeljack. Then those third party designs for those unfulfilled spots (Trailbreaker, Air Raid, etc.).

That said, I love the way MP-10 looks in scale with deluxe Autobots! But, here's the rub--what Megatron goes with him??? NOTHING! There isn't one in the same scale. This is too big. That is too small. I'm constantly seeking the version that's "just right."

Though, I always thought some of the larger scale MP figures would be awesome for those iconic "stand alone" pieces, rather than being part of a larger collection, such as classics.

Megatron is a sticking point, that's true, but I'm hopeful it's only a temporary one. Takara can't just give us a new Optimus that kicks off a whole new scale and not make a Megatron to match.

My problem with a Voyager-sized Megatron (be it Henkei or the 3rd-party Hegemon) is that there isn't a good Starscream to go with it. The Classics Seekers are too stunted and blocky, with big ugly blasters. I look at the sleekness and articulation of the Masterpiece Seekers and the thought of going back to the deluxes just fills me with despair.

Still, by mixing MPs, Classics, and 3P stuff, it's already possible to have a pretty great lineup in decent scale, with more being announced all the time.

MPs: Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Sideswipe, Red Alert, Prowl, Smokescreen, Bluestreak (an inevitable repaint), Soundwave, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm, Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak, Ravage, Buzzsaw

Classics/Henkei: Inferno, Grapple, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Jetfire, Darkwing, Dreadwind, Bludgeon, Blaster

3P: TFC (Aerialbots, Constructicons), Igear (Ironhide, Ratchet, Brawn, Cosmos, Gears, Beachcomber, Ramjet, Dirge, Thrust), FansProject (Broadside, Ultra Magnus, Insecticons), FansToys (Shockwave)

That just leaves a few of the big guns who are left undersized (Jazz, Hound, Sunstreaker, etc), but they all more or less pass my personal squint test. I can fake 'em till they remake 'em.

Completely on board with you there Sean. MP is my favorite line for Transformers and I'm really excited at all of the figures they are pumping out now. I'm hoping for a Megatron soon and I would think Bluestreak and hopefully Ironhide/Rachet next. So far I have only been buying the 3rd party combiners. Plan on getting the Aerialbots and one of the Predakings (not sure which yet) and I am definitely getting the Omega Supreme coming out (not a combiner though of course).

The Megatron is a tricky one to remake because he's a gun but he's a must imo for the new scale.

Broke down and bought Fall Of Cybertron Shockwave, Ultra-Magnus, and Soundwave with Laserbeak online. Toys R Us had an online offer for a free Dark Of The Moon figure. I don't collect that line but I used the offer to get a Nitro Bumblebee anyways.

Finally tracked down a Kickback at Walmart today.

Do you guys think they'll update the other Insecticons?

It would be cool if we got the other Insecticons (and the other Dinobots), but I'm not going to get my hopes up.

HO. LEE. @#$%&*

Titan-class Metroplex
Voyager Blitzwing and Springer
Deluxe Trailbreaker

Plus a bunch of other stuff who cares.

'Bout frickin' time Blitzwing got an updated figure.

Along with Grapple, Hoist, Skids, Inferno, and about a dozen minicars.

Pretty happy to finally see Trailbreaker, but deluxe class is just too small for him. He should be a voyager. Springer and Blitzwing are voyager class, yes?

Transformers and scale = the unending nightmare!!

I'm pretty content with the Deluxe Class figures because they go well with my G1 Transformers: Pretenders, Powermasters, Targetmasters, etc.

That's just me though

I found Grimlock and Blaster yesterday at Wal-Mart - didn't know these guys were out yet. Pretty cool stuff!

Well, I deliberated for a long time, and after looking through a ton of size comparisons, I decided that I'm going to try to keep the most iconic and quintessential version of each character. At first, I was nervous about merging MP versions with classics versions, but some of them aren't too far off in size, especially with the newer and smaller MPs, like Sideswipe. I went ahead and picked up iGear Weapons Specialist, Medical Specialist, Hench, Rager, TRU Masterpiece Prime, and MP-13 Soundwave. I'm pretty stoked.

Now, as far as whether or not to replace my Hasbro versions with Henkei versions, I decided that since the Hasbro versions are usually more cartoon-accurate (whereas the Henkei classics are more G1 toy accurate), I would keep them and use Reprolabels and upgrade kits (which I've been extremely happy with thus far). Also, one other invaluable tool... a silver Sharpie--for those areas that desperately need to be "chromed."

















Like I said, so far, I'm pretty pleased with where things are headed. I also picked up FOC Grimlock and Blaster. Now, for the most part, I'm new to the MP and third party world (mainly because it can get pretty pricey--but now I've decided if I'm going to do something, I may as well do it right), so I've got a few burning questions. Seeing as we have MP Sideswipe and Soundwave, what's the chance Takara is going to release an MP Sunstreaker, and Blaster? It would seem, especially with Prowl, Bluestreak, and Smokescreen, that Sunstreaker and Blaster would be a no-brainer, as those molds are begging to be used again. That said, I'm thinking I might keep FOC Blaster boxed and sell him with some of the classics I will replace/have replaced with MP versions in one big eBay lot. It all depends on if/when we'll see an MP Blaster.

Thoughts?

Welcome to the wonderful world of mixing Masterpieces and Classics!

However, it's Takara that's actually known for being being obsessed with cartoon-accuracy. For the best examples, compare the Hasbro and Takara versions of Ironhide, Smokescreen, and Powerglide. Same with the Masterpieces; check out the two Soundwaves and Rodimus Primes.

As for future Masterpieces, it's really hard to guess. The ones with the most repaint material seem the obvious frontrunners, but since they're going for strict animation looks, that list is a lot smaller than usual. There's not really anyone else to turn a cartoon-accurate Sunstreaker into, for example. Blaster from Soundwave might be a possibility.

Personally, I'm loving FOC Blaster, but your mileage may vary. His robot mode is accurate enough for me, and I don't care about his alt mode. And his size is already a good midway point between his Autobot car buddies and the larger Decepticons. I might buy a Masterpiece version if they make one, but he's way down on the list of characters I wanna see done.

FOC Grimlock is great for a deluxe-size collection (the rest of the WFC/FOC toys, for example). But if you're gonna go whole-hog, nothing beats MP Grimmy.

I want the rest of the dinobots done in MP style.

Or at least update them in universe style.

Same goes for the insecticons.

But the one thing I really want that probably won't happen its updated terrorcons and abominus.