Once upon a time, Takara started a line of Transformers figures that would represent the best versions of whatever character they were making. Unlike the Masterpiece figures of today, there was no scale to follow. Each figure was about a foot tall because they were going to be expensive so they might as well go all out. It was certainly an interesting time, which created some timeless pieces that are celebrated to this day.
MP9, Masterpiece Rodimus Prime, wasn't one of those.
It was a nice, big set. Physically impressive for certain. While the vehicle modes of this set are favourable remembered, any pleasant nostalgia for this set is generally quickly replaced by sad memories of joints that could break at any time, and general QC issues. Yes, the set was popular enough to warrant a reissue, but I can't exactly say anyone I knew was rushing out to get one, though to be fair if I hadn't found a Nemesis Rodimus set for cheap locally, the one guy I knew rushed out to get one might have been me. Transforming that figure once was enough for me - I really didn't feel the need to do anything that would either result in paint scratches or worse yet, permanent damage to the figure.
So, nice looking but flawed product. Of course, this was back in the day before Unified Product, so you know Hasbro is gonna Hasbro. They did eventually bring this figure over to their territory... sort of.
So Hasbro, in general, used to modify Takara product so that it would be more acceptable to the wallets of its customers... which is alright when you're talking mainline stuff, but not so great when you're talking about product aimed specifically towards adult collectors.
The first thing you'd notice is that this Rodimus Prime does not actually come with the trailer, meaning you'd only get Rodimus Prime in robot mode. You see, to their credit, Takara came up with an innovative, but flawed way, of incorporating both the Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime vehicles into one set. The main figure, as shown, would transform into Hot Rod on its own, and with a bit of panel flipping be able to connect to the trailer. It was flawed in that doing so generally left owners with some paint scratches. This concept of having both characters present in a set was revisited by both the Power of the Primes and Kingdom lines, but in the instance of the former Rodimus Prime was a combination with his trailer.
While I forgot to photograph them specifically, technically the set didn't lose any accessories. In fact, it gained one. From the old set, you get both blasters, a MP1 sized Matrix of Leadership (because the one that fits in the figure is too small to hold), a saw blade, and an oil can. In my case, because I didn't check, I only got the guns. The oil can and saw blade would make a reappearance in the MP and Studio Series figures.
The addition is a Targetmaster "Offshoot". This was one of those characters that originated in the Hasbro universe, but eventually made its way into the Takara world through an TF Collection release and eventual Masterpiece release. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, the MP actually uses the same Targetmaster figure as this release, albeit with a much different deco.
Other choice Hasbro modifications including paint app removal, an altered appearance such that the figure resembles the G1 Hot Rod toy, and of course the usual lax QC that results in hallmark floppiness and joint looseness. So there's your Paint Apps and Build Quality section in a nutshell - buyer beware.
If you've never seen one of those, this is the biggest culprit of figure loss for both the Hasbro and Takara versions - these knees. Technically it's a double jointed knee, but realistically the top hinge is for transformation purposes. Because of tolerance issues and general tightness, use of these joints would very likely result in the joint breaking. I remember for a period of time, replacement joints were a hot commodity, even resulting in proactive replacements with third party metal joints.
One of the things that the MP9 had going for it was sheer size. Before the MP10, Masterpiece figures were all about a foot tall. Here he is compared to Artfire (just happened to be handy), who is no slouch and is clocking in at the same height as Convoy/Optimus Prime.
There was no concern over scale. They just wanted to make the biggest and baddest figure possible at the price point that wouldn't make the adult collectors cry. I mean, $250 - $400 USD for the higher end MP figures these days isn't unusual, but for 2008 or so, this price point was insane, so I can appreciate that some sacrifices had to be made to drop it down to I believe $100 CAD for the Hasbro one. Mind you, this was already more expensive than the MP1, which came out in I think 04 or so, which was around $80 CAD at Walmart, and featured an incredible amount of die cast metal.
So flawed as it might be, I am a huge fan of the character design and it's nice having one in this size in relatively accurate Autobot/Cybertron colours.
Articulation isn't bad. Pretty standard in that you've got a waist as well as the usual upper and lower torso articulation points. The issue is that it's very nerve wracking to pose and display a figure that is primarily reliant upon tight ratcheting joints.
Offshoot is also the size of a modern MP Targetmaster. As I mentioned, I'm pretty sure it's the same one in use for MP Targetmaster Hot Rod. However, due to the much older design, the joints aren't as modern though overall the range of motion of this mini figure isn't bad.
The two Photon Blasters are actually kind of neat. They're definitely better painted than I'd expect them to be, Hasbro and all. In fact, they're better painted than the ones I got with my Nemesis Rodimus. But the cool thing about these guns is that they feature some of that patented "Automorph Technology" used in some of the Bayverse figures. Parts on the blasters are spring mounted such that their combined form has a slightly larger silhouette by having the fins on the rear blaster expand.
Rodimus Prime was also the first Masterpiece figure to feature the whole visor thing, though the operating mechanism is a much simpler folding action these days. On this figure, you need to rotate the round parts on the side of the head. I've never had this work completed and have had pull the visor down the rest of the way.
The conversion from Hot Rod to Rodimus Prime is both neat and lame simultaneously. So the wrinkled, longer face is actually spring mounted and hidden inside the cavity of the Hot Rod head. A simple flip and you can swap their positions. That's that neat part. The lame parts are you make him taller by rotating the hip joints so you gain that 1/4 in. height, and you make the spoiler narrower by squeezing the spoiler together.
Yeah.. that's it.
Transformation into vehicle mode isn't hard per se, but it is nerve racking due to the ratcheting joints and the general need to get things JUST right or else the next piece won't fit in properly. There's also an above average amount of shellforming, so you'll need to be careful not to twist or warp the vehicle too much or else you risk breakage. The engine block can be flipped open so you can fit one of the weapons into it.
Again, for me personally I love the size of this thing, even if the wheels are a bit small. I do think it's a bit too slender and long at the front compared to its animation model, but at least there's no real world vehicle to compare it to.
So that about does it for this quick overview of the Hasbro Masterpiece Rodimus Prime. I'm truly hoping that we get a 2.0 someday, as it would be nice to get a set, even if it's just one mode, that I can pose and display without fear of breakage.
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