>>7269314All this chatter about MP-44 made me dig out my MP-10, which I haven't thought too much about in a while, and while I agree the articulation on this thing could be better, I always forget how excellent the aesthetic of this toy is. It seemed like it was redefining the look of G1 for the modern day.
Kind of like a "what if Diaclone were co-opted as Transformers in 2010?". There's clearly a LOT of toy inspiration on MP-10, from the use of silver and chrome to the shape of the windshields to the particular shades of red and indigo they used. The fact that they tried to hard to get the truck mode to look like the Freightliner cab-over-engine that the original toy was based on really makes me wonder whether or not some kind of re-imagining of the original toy line was their initial mission statement, especially since officially licensing the cars that the original toy line boosted was their next order of business. I love that the headsculpt is so completely its own thing. Like, clearly inspired by G1 Optimus, but immediately identifiable as "MP-10" more than anything else. I love the wide-shouldered, small-headed "hero" look that this thing adopted. It gives him a taste of Japanese mecha, which certainly suits his origin.
And that fucking transformation! Forget about it! I can kind of see why MP-44 decided to go such a different route, because MP-10 is basically the pinnacle of "flatnose semi into robot" transformations. It is the absolute perfect balance of complexity and compromise; the best way to get from truck to humanoid without making a mess of things. I love how well-defined and solid his torso ends up looking, with minimal kibble. No part of the transformation is unsatisfying, and it's deceptively simple, too, and even though the gun looks a bit shabby for being able to collapse, that weapon storage is perfection. It kind of makes me pretty certain that the original idea behind the MP line was definitely "the original toy if it were made today".
