Transformers Masterpiece MP 33 Cybertron Search & Rescue Inferno

Quick Update

This weeks been a bit crap to be honest.  Everyone in house of Rog has been down with flu to the point where I had to take a few days off from work after already having 2 weeks holiday time. I took advantage of the quick flash sale on Kapow to grab MP Inferno.  I didn't think I needed this Masterpiece figure as I had already purchased the Maketoys Hellfire, but my great friends Jimmy the Ninja and Matt kept telling me otherwise. So this week we'll have a look at MP Inferno!.

6 Months later..... Its been a busy time, new opportunities and the passing of beloved pets.. but lets crack on!

FUSO T951 MP Inferno is based on this!

Bio


If theres a blazing fire then Inferno is first on the scene rushing in to rescue anyone trapped with little regard for his own safety.  He is a gung ho character and prefers to take down Decepticons over tackling fires.  He does not allow his thirst for battle come before his duty. For more information I have placed the link to TFWiki underneath which includes information on where he has been seen in Transformers history including the G1 cartoon and G2 comics.

Nice bit of Art!

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Inferno_(G1)

Unpacking

Before we open the box of note is that this is quite a large box.  The front picture shows us that he is based on a Japanese Mitsubishi Fuso T951 Fire Engine. I like that the Autobot cars keep to licensing real vehicles for use.  The back of the box shows all sorts of poses in robot and vehicle mode and all the different accessories  and suggestions for how to use them.  Bottom of the box says not to eat toys and contact information for this toy. He comes with a small Optimus Prime mini figure, which to be honest I preferred the coins over..... A friend suggests that the mini figure would look more at home on the Monopoly board which I think is a terrific idea.

The last bot Inferno talks with! Marvel UK readers will recognise this!

Opening the box brings us to a huge tray with allsorts of accessories, including extra faces and helmets, different front types for the fire engine,  a water add on, a handgun, a hose, the Red Alert bro carrier and an unchromed nozzle for his nozzle hand.  Also included is a nice full colour instruction sheet with a bio card and a set of stickers.

Inside Infernos box....

The Toy

So how is the toy?  Well Takara I have to be honest and say this is a very cartoon style of figure.  He feels kinda like MP Ironhide...... which is in my opinion a great thing!  He is solid, chunky and the transformation is pretty straight forward.  I managed it without the instructions but if you do need to watch a great video then I would recommend Bens Collectables and at the same time Ben also does comparisons with the 3rd party offerings of Inferno.

Ben reviews MP Inferno for KapowToys

Fire Engine mode is lovely.  We all know about the ladder and how it compresses away amazingly but to own the figure and to do it is magical in hand.  The fine details like the hose and the holding struts, side ladder and horns and flashing lights (well they would be flashing if this was a real fire engine) really make him look fantastic.  Of note is that their doesn't seem to have been a lot of paint used, it doesn't take from the toy but it would have been nice as this figure does carry a big price tag when compared to the 3rd party offerings.  The ladder does also extend and has a little nozzle gun in the small section.  I would have like to have seen rubber tyres but again this does not take anything from the toy.

Nee Nahh Nee Nahh with nice instructions stickers and biocard!

Robot mode is fantastic,  Inferno looks like he walked straight off the G1 cartoon.  Which of course with the recent releases of Takaras Masterpiece figure is what they intended.  His head can be moved from side to the side,  his face can  look up and made to look down if you adjust his head and of course you can switch out the face to what you prefer.  The arms can rotate 360 and he has an upper arm swivel before the elbow, his hands are opening and closing fists which is a shame as this figure would do well with a set of articulated hands.   The other hand also has the nozzle  which you can have on display instead of the hand if you wish.  Infernos mid section does rotate but it has some clearance problems but if you go carefully you wont have problems.   The hip skirts look great and i really like the fact they are one piece rather than seperate flaps.   He has upper leg rotation above the knees and the knees can bend.   The feet are great, they have a small section at the back to give balance and have ankle tilt.

"I tell you the fish was this big!"

Kibbleless!

He has 2 sets of hands!

"You say Red's hiding!?!?!"

This really is an amazing toy, shame on myself for not buying it earlier but as I had originally bought Maketoys Hellfire I did not think I needed this. Infact during a conversation with Matt, he said he's awesome isn't he!   To put it blunt I was wrong, this is one of Takaras best releases to date and I thouroughly look forward to Artfire and Grapple who I will be getting deposits on as soon as I get paid (This already happened)!  Remember tho the 3rd party offerings are still great toys and each one has its own merits,  please don't feel I put any down because I love my Hellfire and he isn't going anywhere!  Buy Takara MP Inferno in my opinion he is a fantastic toy and will look great on your display!

With Plastic Spray Attachment!

Friends comments!

Ken says Engineering is fantastic and the "soul" of the character is there, but IMO it definitely needed more detail. I also prefer the Hasui style of combining various G1 influences as I find slavish toon accuracy way too plain. 

One of the best things about Inferno that I rarely see comments about is how solid and robust he is without diecast

Stuart says fecking B E A U tiful and has a simple yet clever transformation

Dennis says excellent transformation design, simple but effective movement of parts to shift between modes

Dorian says  Where to start.......I think Inferno has suffered the most from cartoon accuracy. His lower legs are oddly proportioned when fully transformers and are devoid of any detailing. All this to comply with a badly drawn cartoon which is now more than 30 years old. He features greys in place of hard black and a number of accessories which pander again to cartoon accuracy, ones that if left out would have hopefully brought the price down to a more competitive level. Subjectively, he's not to my tastes but when I look at him purely as a toy by the Gods is he amazing. The transformation is a wonderful play experience and the finished bot mode is slick and virtually kibble free. Thankfully he does have a toy styled front bumper and head allowing him to treat the fine line of toon vs toy accuracy but I wish he at least had the same leg detailing the upcoming MP Grapple has

Jimmy  I think they nailed cartoon accuracy. So much so that the vehicle suffers from looking too much like a toy versus a real vehicle. Which I could care less about. The transformation is fun and intuitive like Ironhide. It's loaded with pose-ability and all those lovely ratchets. Don't forget those accessories and wonderful choices to go from toon to toy if you wish and the ever faithful water spray that made its way into a ton of creative pictures. No toy is perfect but I have to say inferno is a top contender in the market for me.

First we take care of the Cons then we go to Kapow for our toys!

Thanks as always for liking and sharing my review!

Special Thanks

BensCollectables
KapowToys
TFWiki
Takara
Ken
Stuart
Dorian
Jimmy
Dennis

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