Masterpiece Movie Series MPM-14 Bonecrusher

Considering its humbly-priced and thoroughly impressive beginnings, the Masterpiece line has grown to become - in my opinion - one of the most egregiously overpriced lines in the TransFormers franchise. This is particularly notable in the Masterpiece Movie subline where, at first glance, many of the figures appear to be only small upgrades on the quality of Leader Class toys circa Revenge of the Fallen.

Such was my opinion, at least, when MPM-13 Blackout emerged four years after the excellent Studio Series figure looking similarly underpainted and, in some ways, substantially less accurate, while MPM-4 Optimus Prime, which appeared a full eight years after the Leader class RotF toy, was marred by ill-fitting parts that didn't sit flush until the improved knockoffs appeared some time later. Similarly, having bought Studio Series Bonecrusher, I sold off my original Deluxe class toy, and the prospect of what looked like a sorely underpainted 'Masterpiece' enlargement just didn't appeal.

So, why do I have this now? Well, there are two reasons. First and foremost, MPM-15 Brawl appeared, looking like a substantial improvement on the rather cool Leader class toy from 2007, which got lost by the courier when I tried to sell it on a few years ago, and I was keen to get some form of replacement for him (albeit possibly a KO because, however good it is, it ain't worth £165!), since that had been the only version of movie Brawl I'd bought. This was enough to somewhat rekindle my interest in MPM, generally. Secondly... Game started selling Bonecrusher at half price sometime last year, and still had it in stock when, having started a new full-time job toward the end of January, my first full-month's paycheck arrived in my bank account at the end of February.

So, does slashing the price by half make this a worthwhile purchase? Stick with me, gentle reader, and we'll find out.

That Feeling When...

When I posted about Human Alliance Skids, back at the end of 2023, I was fairly sure that was the last figure from the Revenge of the Fallen toyline that I had left to write about. In the last couple of days, I have come to realise that I was wrong.

Pretty much front and centre one one of my Live Action Movie toys shelves - admittedly one mainly occupied by Studio Series figures - was the 2009 Deluxe class toy, Ransack... A Decepticon who turns into a biplane, in reference to one of the photos Simmons shows Sam and co. in Revenge of the Fallen.

For most of my collection, I remember taking photos - whether those be the final, published photos or a set that I wound up replacing later - but I swiftly realised that I had no recollection whatsoever of photographing Ransack... Just in case, I checked through the tags for this blog and, sure enough, there are only two Ransacks, neither of which are the RotF version.

Likewise, I checked through my photo folders and found nothing for Ransack under Live Action Movies/Revenge of the Fallen.

So... that's another figure on the list of outstanding posts from 15 years ago...

APC Toys Destruction Galaxy Mob Air General

I think I've already indicated that I'm a huge fan of the TransFormers Prime Vehicon mold (the RiD version, at least - I have yet to handle the First Edition version, but I believe it's broadly inferior). Not only did I end up buying three copies of the ground Vehicons, but I ended up getting the TransFormers Adventure Ground Vehicon General (accidentally) as well. Even today, I'm impressed by the way it transforms in that, while it's technically a shellformer, it does more with its shell than simply collect it on its back.

Then there's the Jet Vehicon, which is essentially the same, but with wings which... end up on its back. Nevertheless, I bought the Arms Micron version of that (just the one, but after buying the Cyberverse scale toy, which was the only version made available in the UK), and wanted to buy the Jet Vehicon General/Ace as well, because it gave me a valid excuse to buy, essentially, a fifth instance of the same toy. However, once again, the only version available in the UK was the Cyberverse one... which, while cute, didn't quite scratch the itch. The Deluxe class toy, unsurprisingly, proved more elusive than the standard Jet Vehicon, coming in the final selection of Arms Micron toys.

So, props to APC Toys - who already impressed me with the Airachnid garage kit they mass-produced - for not only remaking the standard Vehicons, but also the Generals/Aces... and the upgraded paintwork made this one an absolute must-have. I added it to my Christmas/Birthday list shortly after it became available, and my sister ordered it as my Christmas present last year.

Bottom line, though, this is essentially the fourth iteration of the Deluxe class mold that I've owned so, for a more detailed assessment, look at one of the previous write-ups.

Masterpiece On Clearance - AKA Not An Unboxing Post VII

I learned a few years back that Game carry TransFormers toys and then, toward the end of last year, that they'd reduced the price of MPM-14. In fact, they'd cut the price to half their original price, offering him for just £88.

By and large, I feel that the Masterpiece line has been egregiously overpriced for years now, and the reduced price still felt a little steep. I'm certainly not intending to pay full price for MPM Blackout or Brawl (and may in fact pick up a KO of one or the other... or both)... but I got back into gainful employment back in January, and felt the need to treat myself, so I ordered him on a bit of a whim.

I was at work when it was delivered, and Courtney messaged me to say it had arrived... and that it was a big box, but felt surprisingly light. That didn't bode well, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I got my hands on him.

Proper write-up to follow soon (hopefully), but here's the box and a meme, just for funsies.

A Recommendation and a Question

I'm not generally inclined to make direct recommendations here - links over on the side are as much for my own convenience as to suggest further reading to visitors - but I recently had a video from the YouTube channel Valaverse pop up in my feed, and found it quite fascinating. It seems as though the guy behind the channel is a former Hasbro toy designer who - along the same lines as the folks from Boss Fight Studios - decided to take a big risk and go it alone. Rather than create a wholly unique action figure toyline (and then let it stagnate, its most interesting concepts left unexplored, while churning out licensed products left, right and centre) he purchased the license to 'Action Force' (which is what the smaller GI Joe toys were originally called in the UK, being a spin-off of the larger format 'Action Man') and produce his own characters, costumes and accessories for that.

TransFormers Legacy: Evolution Deadeye Duel 2-pack - Kaskade vs. Javelin

(Femme-Bot Friday #87)

It struck me in the afternoon of January 1st that, as of this year - and, more specifically, yesterday - Femme-Bot Friday has been a feature of this blog for ten years. That being the case, I thought it appropriate to try to post something special... which might have been easier if the franchise had offered a greater quantity of worthwhile Femme-Bots. It would have been wonderful to hit FBF#100 for this anniversary, but that could only be achieved by re-posting Femme-Bots that I'd posted about before FBF became a thing.

And, while it would have been ideal to celebrate 10 years since I kicked off this feature with a post about Flame Toys' Arcee model kit, I haven't yet taken sufficient photos for that figure (lack of time, motivation and daylight over the last few months being largely responsible), so we're just going to have to make do with a Legacy: Evolution versus set that - miraculously - pits two unique Femme-Bots against each other. Little did I know, before I started writing all this, but this set actually refers to a specific story in the IDW comics, though the two featured characters don't exactly face off.

Is this unprecedented boxed set worth the investment? Well... That's an especially astute question, given my opinion of Hasbro's current output...