REVIEW: Takara MP-33 Masterpiece Inferno

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There’s a bit in my notes here made quite early on in my time with Masterpiece Inferno that reads as follows: ‘Would leg detailing save it?’ The bit I want to draw attention to here is not necessarily the sentiment but more the fourth word – ‘save’. An hour or so into my Inferno experience and I felt that it was a figure that needed saving.

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REVIEW: Masterpiece MP-11NT Thrust

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It’s a good time to be a seeker collector (that’s the name we give to Starscream and his Decepticon jet pals). It’s not such a good time for Takara’s seekers, however. Its first conehead release (the three jets where the cone sits above the head in robot mode), Ramjet, was hit with one of the worst QC controversies we’ve had in the official line, with huge numbers of copies coming with incorrect shoulder assemblies. For a figure that cost so damn much (even by Masterpiece standards) it was a shocking error, and one that weighed heavily for anyone pre-ordering its next conehead – Thrust.

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REVIEW: MP-32 Convoy (Beast Wars) Optimus Primal

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I’m going to come straight out of the gate here and confess that I don’t much care for Beast Wars.

I’m not saying it’s bad. I’ve tried to watch it a couple of times but have never been able to get past how ugly it is. It’s kinda like Dora the Explorer. Dora’s not a bad show, but I could barely tolerate my little one watching it because every aspect of the visual design made my soul itch. In The Night Garden, on the other hand, is some sexy shit. Lovely trees, well kept grass, and Makka Pakka is a total dude. Nickelodeon’s Ninja Turtles? Beautiful. Adventure Time? Glorious, in every way.

Yeah, anyway…

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In June 2010 my girlfriend and daughter bought me a Transformer for Christmas. Six months later, this is the result.

Was bickering with Mrs Ben about it earlier. She argues they’re “little plastic bits of tat” whereas I remain adamant that they’re “little pieces of art”. And they are. The imagination, the engineering, the feelings they evoke.

Nightmare to dust, though.