MP-22 GET

Today was a most glorious day. A big one I’ve been waiting for has finally come in. While it was released in late December, I’ll count it here and now as my New Year’s gift to myself.

MP-22 Ultra Magnus, “Perfect Edition.” Finally, our favorite not-leader-of-the-Autobots has received a proper Masterpiece iteration that isn’t just a white recolor of Optimus Prime. I remember being skeptical when Takara first announced this because I didn’t believe they were actually going through with something that they’ve pretty much constantly avoided for the past several years.

Oh my money the box is massive. Note that it says “Actual Size” down next to Magnus’ feet for that print on the box.

I placed my preorder for this one pretty late in the game from TF Source (the same place I bought my MP-20 Wheeljack and MP-21 Bumblebee) but somehow they had enough in stock to still fulfill my order. I’m rather surprised, since I figured this would be such a popular figure that they’d be shortchanged on stock.

Still a sucker for this type of collector packaging. I like how he comes in his robot mode, unlike the smaller Autobot cars. I’ve never actually unboxed a TakaraTomy large-scale Transformer before; my Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Soundwave, and Seekers are all USA versions.

He’s so massive. And SO blocky. He almost looks like he’s made out of clay, with all of that soft matte blue finishing.

A quick height comparison with MP-10. I’m pretty sure Magnus now has the title of largest Masterpiece in existence. I’m still kind of in shock that TakaraTomy even made this figure, but it sure as heck looks gorgeous. I get flashbacks to my experiences watching the Movie for the first time while messing with this figure.

I’ll save the real detail for the actual photoshoot and review, but here’s just a quick overview of the main accessories. I love how a screaming face and Matrix-holding hands are specifically included to replicate one scene in particular.

Just trying it out roughly gives me chills. This is kind of amazing, to see such a memorable part of my childhood come to physical life like this.

No, TakaraTomy, NO! I get that these are mass produced figures, and it’s not like this line hasn’t suffered from this before, but c’mon. I paid a shiny penny for my “Perfect Edition,” and ultra-conspicuous nubs sure as heck aren’t part of my definition of “Perfect.” I’ll talk more on this in the actual review post though; I only barely cracked open the box and checked out a few key features today. I haven’t even transformed him or taken a look at the instructions yet.

In other news, another package, considerably smaller, also arrived at my doorstop today. I ordered this little trinket from eBay a while back; took forever to get here thanks to international airmail.

Make no mistake, I’m not such a big fan of Sword Art Online that I’d order a keychain from the franchise. I’m not even sure if this sword is actually from the series or just a random one with the brand slapped on the packaging. I’m guessing the latter. Either way, this is gonna be an integral part of finishing up another project:

The first kit I finished over winter break, before Apharmd the Hatter. I’m not sure what I’m going to call it yet (Tallgeese Cypress Custom? I dunno) but it’s not quite complete without a sword to complete the school mascot homage. I talked about this project a bit before break and had its color outline ready a while back. Again, if you don’t really get the colors, decals, and sword…Google search is your friend.

This is actually a really nice looking sword miniature. Just about the right size too; it took me quite a bit of hunting online to find a suitable one. Too bad it’s metal; I’m not even sure if the Tallgeese will be able to wield it properly, but I’ll sure as hell try.

Naturally, I’ll be modding it so it loses the keychain part at the pommel and fill in that random “Sword god domain” on the blade. Seriously, what does that even mean?

Lots of good stuff coming up; I’m looking forward to writing about all of these, though sadly it’ll probably take a while before a lot of it is published.