Masterpiece G MPG-05 Seizan gets Fully Revealed

He looks neat! I wonder how the backpack affects his balance.

Day 1108 of waiting for Transformers Armada Masterpiece news.

I've enjoyed these so far. they definitely harken back to older mp releases as far as style and fun factor. but there's no denying that sacrifices were made of course for the combining, but also for the sake of the vehicle mode. makes sense when you consider Japanese love of trains. I think the biggest sacrifice though is the combined mode. I have little faith in it tbh. besides the fact that they were still trying to figure it out AFTER the first 2 were released, the design itself seems off. but we will see when Kaen gets revealed.

I've always had a soft spot for Trainbots. I'd really wish they use the second Diaclone colour scheme for a second run of the molds.

Another awesome reveal! I hope this spurs more JG1 Masterpiece releases. Though, would it be in the realm of impossibility to hope for a Generations Trainbot combiner? I’m too many MP purchases behind to even consider getting all 5 of these guys.

The main reason why I'm getting these MP is because I don't see a standard Generations version happening any time soon unfortunately.

Yeah, one of the main reasons that this set is even happening at all as Masterpieces instead of as normal figures is because of the MP budget allowing for Takara to try appealing to the Japanese model train demographic, with each of these being not only super realistic in vehicle mode but also being scaled to a real-world model train scale.

This attempt to attract that audience in addition to the Transformers fandom seems like a sign that Takara does not have enough faith in the Trainbots being popular enough to sell well on their own as normal Generations-styled figures, what with their very real sense of obscurity, even in their own country of Japan.

Sabrblade wrote:Yeah, one of the main reasons that this set is even happening at all as Masterpieces instead of as normal figures is because of the MP budget allowing for Takara to try appealing to the Japanese model train demographic, with each of these being not only super realistic in vehicle mode but also being scaled to a real-world model train scale.

The only problem is that although they are on the same scale, they aren't on the same gauge track. MPG-02 Getsuei rides on narrower tracks than MPG-01 Shouki. Not being a train model aficionado myself, I'm not sure if that's because they are two different types of trains and that's just the way they are, or it that was a concession of engineering the internal robot. Either way, I think it would have been a nice feature to be able to link them together as a single train so that they could ride the same track, but that's by no means a deal breaker.

Anyhoo, the last 4 of these bad boys are the only things on my must-have list. The fact I'm going to be waiting until next Christmas for the last one is killing me.

"And I see your schwartz is as BIG as mine!"


I'm glad I had no kind of G1 attachment to this set, otherwise I might be tempted. As it stands, I have the ability to look at them objectively and decide that an all-train gestalt isn't really my bag.

Brokebot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Yeah, one of the main reasons that this set is even happening at all as Masterpieces instead of as normal figures is because of the MP budget allowing for Takara to try appealing to the Japanese model train demographic, with each of these being not only super realistic in vehicle mode but also being scaled to a real-world model train scale.

The only problem is that although they are on the same scale, they aren't on the same gauge track. MPG-02 Getsuei rides on narrower tracks than MPG-01 Shouki. Not being a train model aficionado myself, I'm not sure if that's because they are two different types of trains and that's just the way they are, or it that was a concession of engineering the internal robot. Either way, I think it would have been a nice feature to be able to link them together as a single train so that they could ride the same track, but that's by no means a deal breaker.

Anyhoo, the last 4 of these bad boys are the only things on my must-have list. The fact I'm going to be waiting until next Christmas for the last one is killing me.

If I understand correctly, real trains in Japan have 2 different track widths and this is relfected in the individual trains having the appropriate width at that scale for the tracks the were used on. Takara is being super accurate to the train modes.

Unfortunately that prevents you from being able to line all six up front to back and roll them on the same set of tracks. Still works fine on a floor or tabletop though, so I'm not too bummed by it.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Brokebot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Yeah, one of the main reasons that this set is even happening at all as Masterpieces instead of as normal figures is because of the MP budget allowing for Takara to try appealing to the Japanese model train demographic, with each of these being not only super realistic in vehicle mode but also being scaled to a real-world model train scale.

The only problem is that although they are on the same scale, they aren't on the same gauge track. MPG-02 Getsuei rides on narrower tracks than MPG-01 Shouki. Not being a train model aficionado myself, I'm not sure if that's because they are two different types of trains and that's just the way they are, or it that was a concession of engineering the internal robot. Either way, I think it would have been a nice feature to be able to link them together as a single train so that they could ride the same track, but that's by no means a deal breaker.

Anyhoo, the last 4 of these bad boys are the only things on my must-have list. The fact I'm going to be waiting until next Christmas for the last one is killing me.

If I understand correctly, real trains in Japan have 2 different track widths and this is relfected in the individual trains having the appropriate width at that scale for the tracks the were used on. Takara is being super accurate to the train modes.

Unfortunately that prevents you from being able to line all six up front to back and roll them on the same set of tracks. Still works fine on a floor or tabletop though, so I'm not too bummed by it.

It's not just a thing in Japan. In real life in many parts of the world, there exist standard gauge railways and narrow gauge railways (arguably one of the most famous being the Talyllyn Railway in Wales). The type of engine that Getsuei turns into is a narrow gauge engine, making him the odd one out. In real life, standard gauge and narrow gauge are not supposed to interact with each other on the same rail tracks, so it's the fault of Takara back in the 1980s for basing the Diaclone toy that would later be used for Getsuei on an engine type that is, in real life, incompatible with the others.

Seizan looks pretty nice! I love the sword pose, kinda neat how they are spreading out all of the accessories over the releases. I think Suiken still looks better than Seizan, but the arms both look to be strong individuals.

As for the conversation related to the combined mode, I think it is clear that they were focusing on the train modes as the primary modes here, with the robot modes built in 2nd and combined mode last, and like Sabrblade said, it makes sense that a character like this might need an avenue where they can focus on another aspect (i.e. the train community) of the characters to help them actually sell. I for one am OK with it, especially since I very much dislike the 3P Raiden.

Also, speaking of combined mode, the image below started circulating. Not sure where it came from, but it shows a black and white sketch of Kaen in there too.

Raiden's arms look a little short.

Sabrblade wrote:The type of engine that Getsuei turns into is a narrow gauge engine, making him the odd one out.

The Shinkansen duo Shouki and Yukikaze are standard gauge; the other four are all 3'6" narrow gauge. The latter was used in the British Empire, and areas they had a hand in.

Damnation I can't wait til the final combiner figure so we can see a over all review and see the possible flaws involved and IF it's worth the possible small fortune it will involve. Unlike many others that have already gotten the figures already released to date my wait continues on.

Sabrblade wrote:Raiden's arms look a little short.

Pretty sure they're bent at the elbows and the panel that frees the articulation is hiding his upper arms.

Incidentally, Wonder Festival 2023 [Winter] is a few weeks away, we might get our first look at Kaen as a gray model there and the mostly complete Raiden.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:Incidentally, Wonder Festival 2023 [Winter] is a few weeks away, we might get our first look at Kaen as a gray model there and the mostly complete Raiden.

Really hoping so

Immortal Starscream wrote:besides the fact that they were still trying to figure it out AFTER the first 2 were released, the design itself seems off.

So they designers didn't start with Raiden being the end goal?!

RotorstormNZ wrote:

Immortal Starscream wrote:besides the fact that they were still trying to figure it out AFTER the first 2 were released, the design itself seems off.

So they designers didn't start with Raiden being the end goal?!

Raiden has always been part of the design. It's just that making the individual train modes for model train enthusiasts in Japan seems to have been the priority (again this is all fan conjecture, nothing has been stated anyone at TT as far as I am aware).

I'm sure however when it is all said and done it will be quite the accomplishment.

o.supreme wrote:

RotorstormNZ wrote:

Immortal Starscream wrote:besides the fact that they were still trying to figure it out AFTER the first 2 were released, the design itself seems off.

So they designers didn't start with Raiden being the end goal?!

Raiden has always been part of the design. It's just that making the individual train modes for model train enthusiasts in Japan seems to have been the priority (again this is all fan conjecture, nothing has been stated anyone at TT as far as I am aware).

I'm sure however when it is all said and done it will be quite the accomplishment.

Also keep in mind that whatever is drawn on paper or modeled in CAD may not always work out the way they're supposed to in real life, so tweaks are made "on the go".

DHL just delivered....

Damn, mine still hasn't shipped yet

Unfortunately, my order for MPG 3 got canceled and I can't find another order at the PO price so I'm out. I'll be looking to dump the first two at some point.

That's a bummer. Train Bot 3 arrived earlier this week and my OH says it is the best one yet. Not as much troublesome clear plastic. Oddly I'm struggling to find any online (English) reviews for this one? Maybe a larger supply issue??

I believe the more prominent reviewers probably have theirs now. TBH, this was the first one I tried Transform on my own without a tutorial, and I still got stuck, even when using Google translate for the instructions. It feels solid, but I definitely don't want to break anything. So he sits about half transformed at the moment. I figure the usual suspects like emgo will have something within the next week.

Oh yes, the feedback I received definitely mentioned "fiddly" a lot, during the transformation. Which I thought seemed the price you pay when going for a more "realistic" streamlined altmode.

For a certainty, its one of the main reasons I'm not into Masterpiece as a general rule. But I've wanted the Trainbots forever, and they actually scale better with Generations than MP. If however, solid Generations Trainbots ever were to be made, I'd sell these MPG's without hesitation.

I had some spare time, so I decided to try again and finish transforming Yukikaze on my own. Those legs are a PAIN.... Also speaking of legs, now that we have both Legs to Raiden, they transform very differently, so dont hope that you can use Getsuei to learn how to Transform Yukikaze. There are a couple of foot parts that are similar, but these are truly unique in pretty much every fashion.

Also now that we have Raiden's head I decided to try Shouki's combine mode, which thankfully, wasn't that difficult, and aside from the legs on the back, everything holds together pretty well. I'm certain that once Raiden is combined, this will be the most expensive posable statue I own.

o.supreme wrote:I'm certain that once Raiden is combined, this will be the most expensive posable statue I own.

That's always been a sticking point for me, getting into other potential MP Gestalts. I find it a pain to go back and forth transforming individual MP Bots. If I had say, MP Bruticus. In that combined form the Masterpiece Combaticons would remain.

Definitely, as combiner teams are my favorite aspect of the Transformers as whole, I'm not eager to see more MP combiners. They are well developed, but ultimately too complex at MP scale. Thankfully my UW/CW/PotP cover almost all bases. So if TT ever did attempt any of the more popular teams, I'd have no temptation because I already own them. But if TT tried MPG of any of the Combiners mentioned in my signature, before we got proper Generations versions, I'd probably be getting them again regrettably. Hopefully that dosen't happen.

Yeah. I think that's why Raiden was a good call as both the first and potentially only MP Gestalt. The uniformity of the altmodes keeps the development/manufacturing costs down. While at the same time, Raiden had no "rival" that some of the fanbase would ask for upon their completion. I was one of those for years asking why Scorponok didn't immediately follow TR Fortress Maximus. Why there is still no MP Galvatron or Blaster to accompany MP Rodimus Prime and Soundwave, respectively.

Then again, even as a Masterpiece. Some combiners would still look Awful IE Menasor, Computron etc

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Unfortunately, my order for MPG 3 got canceled and I can't find another order at the PO price so I'm out. I'll be looking to dump the first two at some point.

Not sure if you already started selling, but looks like DeepDiscount actually has some great prices on these.

I've only ever ordered DVD/Blu Rays from them and not had an issue. I cant speak to how reliable they are with toys however (if they are able to keep orders?). I believe for MPG-04 & 05 I think they might even have better prices than Amazon Japan, since the exchange has gone up in the past few months.

https://www.deepdiscount.com/search?q=MPG&mod=AP

Just got my yukikaze in too. I think he's the best of the 3 we've gotten so far. He also comes with a booklet that shows some things. does not help the combined mode look better at all sadly. I'm sure somebody will post better cleaner scans of this soon, but for now, heres some pics. besides showing off renders of the last 2 bots, there's also a shot that shows the combiners gun made of 3 smaller weapons.

o.supreme wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Unfortunately, my order for MPG 3 got canceled and I can't find another order at the PO price so I'm out. I'll be looking to dump the first two at some point.

Not sure if you already started selling, but looks like DeepDiscount actually has some great prices on these.

I've only ever ordered DVD/Blu Rays from them and not had an issue. I cant speak to how reliable they are with toys however (if they are able to keep orders?). I believe for MPG-04 & 05 I think they might even have better prices than Amazon Japan, since the exchange has gone up in the past few months.

https://www.deepdiscount.com/search?q=MPG&mod=AP

Deep discount is who I had my order with and they cancelled it and Skyfire because they're not getting shipment allegedly. Personally I think it was because I complained about them having a hold on my card for 6 months.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

o.supreme wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Unfortunately, my order for MPG 3 got canceled and I can't find another order at the PO price so I'm out. I'll be looking to dump the first two at some point.

Not sure if you already started selling, but looks like DeepDiscount actually has some great prices on these.

I've only ever ordered DVD/Blu Rays from them and not had an issue. I cant speak to how reliable they are with toys however (if they are able to keep orders?). I believe for MPG-04 & 05 I think they might even have better prices than Amazon Japan, since the exchange has gone up in the past few months.

https://www.deepdiscount.com/search?q=MPG&mod=AP

Deep discount is who I had my order with and they cancelled it and Skyfire because they're not getting shipment allegedly. Personally I think it was because I complained about them having a hold on my card for 6 months.

They haven't canceled either of those for me, and it would really hurt if they did since I gave up my Jetfire deposit for their better price (still saved even when including the deposit to the total).

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

o.supreme wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Unfortunately, my order for MPG 3 got canceled and I can't find another order at the PO price so I'm out. I'll be looking to dump the first two at some point.

Not sure if you already started selling, but looks like DeepDiscount actually has some great prices on these.

I've only ever ordered DVD/Blu Rays from them and not had an issue. I cant speak to how reliable they are with toys however (if they are able to keep orders?). I believe for MPG-04 & 05 I think they might even have better prices than Amazon Japan, since the exchange has gone up in the past few months.

https://www.deepdiscount.com/search?q=MPG&mod=AP

Deep discount is who I had my order with and they cancelled it and Skyfire because they're not getting shipment allegedly. Personally I think it was because I complained about them having a hold on my card for 6 months.

They haven't canceled either of those for me, and it would really hurt if they did since I gave up my Jetfire deposit for their better price (still saved even when including the deposit to the total).

Emerje

I'm more concerned about Skyfire, I've tried to order it off Movies Unlimited but because they can't put a hold on the card the order will not go through. I'm probably going to miss out on Skyfire because I will NOT pay $300 for it from Hasbro Pulse.

Unfortunately that may be the case. Each company is different. Some charge up front, and some charge at he time the item ships. I purchased a couple DVD sets back in May of 2022 from DD that were supposed to come out in June. They ended up getting delayed until December (from the manufacturer, not DD fault), but DD kept the payment, and shipped them eventually when they were released.

I personally prefer companies to do that, because in my mind the item is already paid for. It would be a pain to hav to fight to get it back if the item ended up getting cancelled, but fortunately that hasn't been an issue. Unlike Pulse or Amazon, you have to plan ahead, because you really never know exactly when they are going to charge you for a pre-order.

o.supreme wrote:Unfortunately that may be the case. Each company is different. Some charge up front, and some charge at he time the item ships. I purchased a couple DVD sets back in May of 2022 from DD that were supposed to come out in June. They ended up getting delayed until December (from the manufacturer, not DD fault), but DD kept the payment, and shipped them eventually when they were released.

I personally prefer companies to do that, because in my mind the item is already paid for. It would be a pain to hav to fight to get it back if the item ended up getting cancelled, but fortunately that hasn't been an issue. Unlike Pulse or Amazon, you have to plan ahead, because you really never know exactly when they are going to charge you for a pre-order.

Just going to point out that my Skyfire and Yukikaze had a hold put on my debit card for about 5 days and then it went away.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

o.supreme wrote:Unfortunately that may be the case. Each company is different. Some charge up front, and some charge at he time the item ships. I purchased a couple DVD sets back in May of 2022 from DD that were supposed to come out in June. They ended up getting delayed until December (from the manufacturer, not DD fault), but DD kept the payment, and shipped them eventually when they were released.

I personally prefer companies to do that, because in my mind the item is already paid for. It would be a pain to hav to fight to get it back if the item ended up getting cancelled, but fortunately that hasn't been an issue. Unlike Pulse or Amazon, you have to plan ahead, because you really never know exactly when they are going to charge you for a pre-order.

Just going to point out that my Skyfire and Yukikaze had a hold put on my debit card for about 5 days and then it went away.

Emerje

That's what's supposed to happen, I almost fainted when I found out they were holding the charge for 6 months. DD and MU have great prices sometimes but HORRIBLE customer service.

I got Yukikaze tonight, he's pretty solid. Feels like they are already learning some lessons from at least Shouki, especially in the clear plastic quality and quantity. I love his visor too. The way he stores the Raiden head too is hilarious but also ingenious.

Thanks to the Transformers Toy Bar page, we have our first look at the sixth and final Trainbot: Kaen!

Kaen in the final component of Raiden, the result of 2 years of work. Kaen transforms from a workhorse diesel engine into a short and stumpy little robot who is the definition of adorable. He comes with a gun and a lightsaber-esque sword.

Kaen will form the waist of Raiden, filling in the gap between Shouki and the leg bots. The reveal pictures include pictures of Kaen as a waist by himself, and also includes our first proper look at Raiden all combined.

Check out the photos below, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

It looks good but I've lost interest after missing out on MPG-03. This reminds me I have to sell of 01 and 02.

I find myself overall please with how Raiden came out. Is he overengineered? Yeah. But, he's got a nice solid build to him, and I love that he ends up scaling well with CHUG figures (Especially since we don't know if/when a CHUG Raiden will ever happen).

chuckdawg1999 wrote:It looks good but I've lost interest after missing out on MPG-03. This reminds me I have to sell of 01 and 02.

MPG-03 is still available to buy online: https://hasbropulse.com/products/transf ... t-yukikaze

Even cheaper on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Mas ... 134&sr=8-1?tag=seibertron07-20&

I decided against finishing the Trainbot team ($$$) but this one looks the best of all of them, to me.

This was the member of the team was looking forward to the most and he looks pretty good. Now I just have to wait for the next time Transformeres makes some train characters.

There are two questions in my mind:
1 - Will they ever reuse these molds for the alternative Diaclone color scheme? Apart from transparent and chromium ones, they were pretty neat.
2 - Will they release more MP Combiners and give us the Devastator we deserve?

He's a pretty chunky figure. I can't help but think that they really hamstrung themselves here and for no good reason. There's plenty of figure in Kaen that he could have formed those thighs rather than interfere with the leg bots by making them have to form the entire leg and work in fake Kaen parts. And now we have an ever growing abundance of kibble on the back of Raiden, completely unnecessary. He went from being an integral part forming half the torso and the thighs to being Raiden's belt. The end result is a combiner that looks too bulky, busy, and overloaded with extraneous parts. It doesn't look like he'll be fun to pose at all. I feel like at some point they lost focus on what they were trying to make because in the end Raiden is neither cartoon accurate nor toy accurate, it's just its own thing that sort of looks like Raiden. They should have left him at MP scale and really stretched him out and put all that extra bulk to work instead of trying to make him fit in with Combiner Wars scale for no real practical reason.

That said, I do plan on still buying the remaining three, but I have my doubts about displaying them as Raiden.

Emerje

In the end, I am still loving this set, but this is really the first combiner of any kind that I wont display in combined mode. I think the individual trainbots are fantastic imho, and I feel like all of the effort went into them as opposed to making the focus Raiden and building around that. I do feel like they shot themselves in the foot on this one, seemingly making it up as they went along. I know they can do better, but I am still happy enough with the end result

angtre wrote:There are two questions in my mind:
1 - Will they ever reuse these molds for the alternative Diaclone color scheme? Apart from transparent and chromium ones, they were pretty neat.

I'm no expert, but I dont think it is likely. While MP do have repaints, this would be a very niche requested item, and very expensive to issue repaints for all 6. Somehow I doubt it.

angtre wrote:2 - Will they release more MP Combiners and give us the Devastator we deserve?

I'm still fully satisfied with UW Devastator (more articulation than CW, and individual weapons, more animation acccurate deco).

This is my first foray into MP. As expensive as they are, having them spaced out makes it a little easier to acquire them. Still, if a solid Generations version were to be released, I'd sell the MP's with no hesitation. They are cool, but just not really my thing. I only have them because I think The Trainbots/Raiden are such great characters, and I seriously doubt we will get another version of them any time soon.

If anything I would think/hope any future MPG's *might* be combiners that haven't been revisited in modern times (see my wish list in m signature). I mean I know an MPG Devastator would probably be something many fans would want, but it would definitely be a pass for me. I feel the same however when I hear people talk about a SS86 Devastator.

While Raiden's combined mode may not be *perfect*, the focus was obviously on the trains, which are. For UW Devastator, while the individual construct icons dont look the greatest in bot mode, Devastator himself is pretty solid, and accurate to animation. a SS86 version would really REALLY have to do something amazing for me to warrant the upgrade, and of course, no matter how pretty an MPG version would be, I wouldn't want it.

The pre-order hasn't been set up yet for MPG-06 Kaen, but I sincerely hope they are able to keep the expected release date of the end of December (12/30/23).

I have trouble believing they created the MPG sub line with the intention of doing just one combiner. Whether or not these have sold well enough to keep the line going is a different story.

As for Diaclone, I could see it happening, but not as aggressively as this set, maybe over the course of four or five years. A box set sounds like a huge ask.

Emerje