Before I post any further, I will preface some of this with:
- My focus is TakaraTomy's Masterpiece line for the most part, not Hasbro's. "MASTERPIECE TRANSFORMERS" as a brand and a subline of toys is a TakaraTomy-focused production mostly. Hasbro generally only produces "what they can, when they can" (As such, you'll note that I primarily use the Japanese names. There are several other reasons for this, but I'll discuss those later!).
- I've already been incorrect about Masterpiece speculation in regards to Hasbro's releases at least. As of this writing, Hasbro has already stated that there are plans to release Masterpiece Prowl at US retail. For most of 2014, I continued to state that I did not think we'd ever see a US release of any of the Masterpiece cars.
- My speculation is for fun.
So, I'll chime in here with my own speculation. The following is just educated guesses based upon what I've seen thus far, and nothing more. At most, the past is often the best predictor of the future, and when I do any kind of forecasting of things like this, it's generally the most reliable source:
Megatron version 2.0 - it's just a matter of time. TakaraTomy has no issue with making Megatron a Walther P-30 either. I'll even say that the Hegemon figure is somewhat of an indicator of things to come. A trend I've seen is that since MP-10, there has been at least some kind of responsiveness from TakaraTomy and Hasbro in regards to third party items. Mainly, some actions are an attempt to squash third party offerings. MP-11 was released not shortly after the Igear 1984 Seeker trio, which means it was in the works while the Wheel_Jack/Igear Coneheads are made and sold. While I think a G2 Megatron (tank) is less likely, MP G2 Sideswipe gives more credence to the concept as well. But I'd really push my chips all in on this bet.
Ultra Magnus - We've all read the interviews and the Tweets. We've even seen the mockup and basically the request directly to the fandom "Would you buy this?" with the resounding "YES". Just like Megatron, I feel that this is also just a matter of time. In fact, I'd even go so far to say that Magnus here could be the main 30th celebratory item from TakaraTomy. The cab is already molded, so some of that work is done. I'll push my chips in on this one as well. I'll put in a fanboy wish that's a good indicator as well - Powered Convoy A straight redeco and a further homage to Diaclone. That's a no-brainer to me, regardless of my biases. (Note: Ultra Magnus is now a confirmed 2014 release)
The remainder of the 1984/1985 G1 "Show" cast - This is where it starts to get a little tricky. Here's a rundown, and I'll post my thoughts on each:
The "Minibots"
Bumble[bee] - Confirmed
for 2014
Cliff[jumper] - Retool
of Bumble, but using the licensed Porsche
Gong/Gongu[Brawn] -
Strong possibility/reuse as "Outback" makes this viable
Gears - Strong
possibility/reuse as "Swerve" makes this very likely given the IDW
popularity
[Wind]Charger - Strong
possibility/reuse as "Tailgate" makes this very likely given the IDW
popularity
Drag[Huffer] - almost
saw a release with MP-10/would have been an "accessory" to MP-10
Convoy. Most likely with the success of the current MP line, a new design
will be made.
Autobots:
Streak - Confirmed for
2013
Hound - If this
character is in Transformers 4, that would strengthen the possibility of the
release. There's not real licensing hurdles here, though. Just a
matter of time and timing.
Meister - Fan favorite,
just a matter of time
Lambor - Created Fall of
2012
Ligier[Mirage] - Already
rumored, Diaclone redeco possibility (see Powered Convoy, as a red Ligier was
included in the Powered Convoy gift set). A "G2 redeco would be fun
as well.
Prowl - Confirmed for
2013
Ratchet - Strong
possiblity/reuse for Ironhide
Sunstreaker - Strong
possibility given the popularity of Lambor. Reuses as Police and red
redecos would homage Diaclone.
Trailbreaker - I'm going
to put this one at 70/30. I do think that the usage of IDW/Generations
Trailcutter[breaker] is a deliberate attempt to put the character back out into
the public mind's eye. Reuse as Hoist does strengthen the possibility.
Blue and yellow redecos would homage the Diaclone line, but these would
be exclusives of some sort at best.
Wheeljack - Confirmed
for 2014
Tracks - No licensing
issues. Reuse as Road Rage is a Diaclone homage. Possibility here
is fairly strong.
[Red]Alert - Created
Fall of 2012
Smokescreen - Confirmed
for 2013 (Note: this figure has now been released)
Skids - Same as
Trailbreaker with the IDW popularity and the Generations toy release.
Still, not as strong of a possibility as some may think. However, a
Crosscut could be a second reusage that would be another Diaclone.
Inferno - I really
believe this one isn't as likely. A reuse/retool as Grapple does make it
a bit more possible. I'm going to throw this one at a 60/40 simply in
favor of how TakaraTomy is going about this cast.
Broadcast[Blaster] - I
think it's a very strong possibility we'll get this one. Reason?
Soundwave and cassettes.
Perceptor - Probably one
we could do without, but I can see this one being done as well, especially
given his role in the death of Optimus Prime as well as his further inclusion of
season three.
Convoy - Well, the MP-10
really started this whole thing, didn't it? :)
I'll be back later to do
the Destrons[Decepticons] :)
(Images courtesy of TFW2005.COM)
Oh snap, you got a blog! Your images are broken, fyi.
ReplyDeleteScotty! Yeah, I'm gonna try this out!
DeleteOddly, the images show up on my end, but I'll look into it. Thanks! /blogginnoob