COUNTDOWN: Attention third parties! 30 G1 Masterpiece ideas still to do (part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our extended look at all the various Generation 1 Transformers concepts still yet to be touched by the third party Masterpiece scene! Last time we took a gander at some of the rather unprecedented new releases on the horizon (MP-styled Omnibots!) but then laid down the gauntlet in terms of what was still to come…  there may be more than you think. Onward to part 2!

 

#20: Technobots

Rather like their Terrorcon counterparts that we talked about in part 1, the Technobots are a classic team of lads that have still yet to be realised in truly cartoon-accurate form. There have been other attempts to bring them to life but never in Masterpiece style or scale, so I can’t help but think that they’re due a crack at some point soon, especially with so many renditions of Menasor now out in the world already. Make it happen, 3P!

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? X-Transbots seem like an obvious one to give this a go, maybe after their current Protectobot focus, although again, Zeta could do a fab job with the Computron combined form.

 

#19: Autobot Targetmasters

Wait, didn’t Maketoys tease one of these lads a while back? Why, yes, alongside their Contact Shot release of the character, Pointblank, they did in fact tease another figure, named Recticle (terrible name), that would have been their attempt at Crosshairs. One can assume that a Sureshot may have been to follow, although we may never know as that was back in 2015 and seems to have been abandoned since. It’s such a shame too, as Contact Shot is honestly an absolute marvel of a toy, so it would be wonderful to see these two done proper justice to go alongside it!

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? Maketoys. I can dream, can’t I?

 

#18: Junior Targetmasters

Having talked about the original Targetmaster roster, of course it would be fantastic to see the second-year crew brought to life in MP-style, too! The Autobots in this case are rather D-list in terms of overall franchise impact but the Decepticons have proven themselves to be a set of fan-favourite all-stars in more recent years, with characters such as Spinister having been reimagined by IDW to warm reception. In fact, it was the evil trio who most prominently featured in the 1980s Transformers fiction too, with all three of them having memorable turns in the UK comic at one point or another. Either way, I’d love to see them all done justice in Masterpiece style!

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? Maketo– oh, who am I kidding? It’s hard to know who might be bold enough to tackle this crew but perhaps someone like Fans Hobby or MMC might be up for the task.

 

#17: Sharkticons

X-Transbots are currently ploughing through enough Quintesson-related merch to make up an entire courtroom scene but one element of that remains strangely absent thus far – Sharkticons! I’m actually amazed that this design hasn’t been a third party staple already, especially given the army-building potential that would allow an enterprising outfit to sell multiple copies (even box sets) of one single design. It can surely only be a matter of time, no?

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? X-Transbots are the obvious player here, surely.

 

#16: More Pretenders!

I mentioned last time how I was hopeful that it wouldn’t be too long before someone – anyone! – gave Masterpiece-styled Pretenders a go. Well, as and when they do, let’s hope they go beyond the obvious first-year releases and bring us some of these guys, too! Bludgeon, Octopunch and Stranglehold have such franchise notoriety that they feel like a shoo-in for the treatment at some point, although I’d love to see any of this lot given the same time and attention.

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? As with last time, it feels like something that Fans Hobby would do well with, but really it’s anyone’s game at this stage!

 

 

#15: Elita-One’s Crew

If there’s one thing the recent War For Cybertron series has shown, it’s that there’s an appetite for new versions of Elita-One’s crew. Chromia, Firestar, Greenlight, Lancer and Moonracer would all be great fun to see and would make for something quite different to the usual fare the third party scene often kicks up. I already stated last time that it would be fab to have a proper Alpha Trion brought to life in MP form and I can’t help but think that alongside this lot, it would be a truly epic scene to behold.

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? Again, it feels like something X-Transbots might get to eventually.

 

#14: Powermasters

We’ve had two different versions of the Decepticon Powermasters (or rather, their Takara equivalents, the Godmasters) teased at various stages: first by Maketoys in what I again assume is a now-abandoned project, and then more recently by KFC, which will hopefully go the distance. So, it seems like a major oversight that no one has even so much as teased the Autobot Powermaster crew yet, especially when there’s even some repaint potential with examples such as Masterforce Ranger.

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? I feel like this could be another one that Fans Hobby might see fit to do further down the line, given their current Masterforce focus. They’ve already done Ginrai and Overlord, after all.

 

#13: Decepticon Headmaster Juniors

Speaking of Fans Hobby, you may have noticed they’re on a roll with their Autobot Junior Headmaster crew at the moment (I reviewed Ace Hitter just yesterday!), but thus far their Decepticon counterparts have yet to be touched. All three of these monterish designs are absolute classics from the G1 era, and could make for truly fun new toys in Masterpiece scale.

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? Come on, it’s got to be Fans Hobby again, surely?

 

#12: Seacons

Like the Terrorcons and Technobots, the Seacons are another crew that’s been done in third party form before, but never truly in the right scale or style to be considered a proper Masterpiece attempt. With the team turning up in the Masterforce cartoon under the Japanese name of King Poseidon, it would be marvellous to see their animation models done proper justice in toy form, not to mention a truly gargantuan attempt at the combined form to boot!

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? This could be another one to rely on Zeta for, if only to get the combined form in an impressive size.

 

#11: Pretender Beasts & Vehicles

OK, ok, more Pretenders! Yet if we’re gonna go this route, you surely cannot forget about some of the more weird and wonderful ideas that came out of that line-up originally, can you? The Beasts are an obvious example, especially as they have all featured in franchise fiction fairly prominently at one point or another, and it would be very exciting to see those characters brought to life in properly detailed style. Then there are the vehicles, Roadgrabber & Gunrunner, which could be a lot of fun even if the whole concept of the Pretender shell being a robot car is a little odd. It may be one of the most unlikely entries on this list, but colour me hopeful all the same.

WHICH THIRD PARTY MIGHT GIVE IT A GO? Hard to say, but please, someone, I just want a Masterpiece-styled Carnivac!

 

 

So that’s part 2! Be sure to join us next time when we’ll be counting down the remaining characters deserving a bit of 3PMP attention.

TTFN