COUNTDOWN: Everything on the way from X-Transbots (part 2)

Welcome to the second part of our round-up of everything* that X-Transbots has currently going on, including all the various teases and pre-orders available – and yes, it’s a lot of stuff! If you missed it, we already took ourselves all the way up to March 2022 with part 1, and now we’re back to look forward through to September that same year. Let’s get cracking!

*at the time of writing; there will probably be something new soon! 

 

#31: MX-22 COMMANDER STACK

Who is it? Ultra Magnus

Estimated release: June 2022

A very new reveal this one, with the promotional pics for Stack having only just dropped in the last week! However, the idea of X-Transbots producing an Ultra Magnus figure has been prodded at more than a few times over the years, so it’s fascinating to see the final result. I’ve no doubt that many will be asking why they would go there considering the presence of the official MP-22 figure, although it looks like XTB have done their homework and decked their version out with a few tricks to set it apart. First thing to note, it appears to be an all-in-one cab transformation (and thus with no ‘white Prime’ figure at the core) just like MP-22, but in this case the truck trailer bed is a fair bit cleaner than the competition. There’s also distinctly less buttflap (can’t believe I’m even writing about it again) than we saw on MP-22, if indeed that was a concern for you! The main things that will catch a lot of collector’s eyes are surely the articulation and proportions on offer though, with Stack capable of pulling off a very convincing kneel, but also looking much closer in height (and a little slimmer) to how a fair few people might imagine him from the cartoon. Is this one enough to topple the official MP? Time will tell!

 

#30: MX-5 DANTE

Who is it? Inferno

Estimated release: June 2022

Another release that has been in the works for absolutely ages is Dante, XTB’s take on Inferno. In fact, it was first teased way back in 2015, but then seemingly shelved when an official Masterpiece version started becoming apparent a year later. Presumably, XTB believes that enough time has now passed, as Dante has returned, and it’s only fair to say that the design looks as spectacular now as ever! A lot of collectors felt the official toy was maybe a little too cartoony for their tastes, so will this be the solution at long last? There have already been a good few attempts at the character from various third party outfits too, so let’s hope Dante is hot stuff.

 

#29: MX-6 DA VINCI

Who is it? Grapple

Estimated release: June 2022

Where there’s a new Inferno toy, you just know a Grapple needs to follow shortly behind, and as it happens XTB is currently slated to land their version alongside Dante in June of next year. Like his mould-mate, Da Vinci is another design we’ve seen teased many times over the years and could prove a real treat for people not satisfied with the current crop of MP-style Grapples.

 

#28: MX-7 TIRADOR

Who is it? Artfire

Estimated release: June 2022

Also in June is Tirador, XTB’s effort at Artfire, who of course was originally a Japanese-exclusive repaint of Inferno. This one comes complete with XTB’s own Targetmaster design from their Andras release and again, looks pretty spectacular, based on the renders.

 

#27: MX-35 CARAVAGGIO

Who is it? Hauler

Estimated release: June 2022

Finally, we have the fourth use of this design, and arguably the one that is a trump card up XTB’s sleeve. After all, we’ve never had an official MP attempt at Hauler (not yet anyway), and the distinctive green colour scheme is one that always seems to get fans excited, so even if people can’t be persuaded to trade in their existing versions of the other characters derived from this design, perhaps Carvaggio might be the one they set their sights on.

 

#26: MX-28 FAST

Who is it? Runamuck

Estimated release: June 2022

Another thing XTB do well is find the niche holes in the MP market and plug them, as evidenced by some of what we have coming up on the rest of this list. Take this release for one example, which represents the Battlecharger known as Runamuck – another character often cited by fans as something they would love to see happen, and yet no current MP-style attempt exists! Of course, he’s just half the story…

 

#25: MX-29 FURY

Who is it? Runabout

Estimated release: June 2022

Yes, where Runamuck goes, Runabout must be there too! Now one thing I am delighted to see is that these two aren’t just straight-up repaints of one another, with enough moulding variances planned in to separate their distinctive alternate forms, for starters. Runamuck is very much his traditional Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, whereas this lad is a Lotus Turbo Esprit, as they should be. Personally, I can’t wait to check them both out come the middle of next year!

 

#24: MX-23 FIORAVANTI

Who is it? Omnibot Overdrive

Estimated release: June 2022

Alongside the Battlechargers, the Omnibots are another fine example of figures who are severely under-represented in toy form a lot of the time, and thus XTB are the first to also bring these chaps to life in MP style. Kicking off the trio will be Fioavanti, who represents Overdrive, and oh my word, he looks amazing. That Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer alternate form is really something, but the design also does a terrific job at representing the original toy’s robot mode and even takes into account the ‘attack car’ form as well! The Omnibots may not be the most well-known of G1 toys (having only been available as mailaway promotions back in the day) but this troupe looks set to do them justice.

 

#23: MX-24 YAGUCHI

Who is it? Omnibot Downshift

Estimated release: August 2022

After Fioavanti is scheduled for June, we then have the following two XTB Omnibots slated for August. The first of these, Yaguchi, is a take on Downshift (known as Camshaft under Takara during G1, for what it’s worth!), with the incredible Toyota Celica Supra alternate form looking majorly lush. Once again, both robot mode and attack mode have been brought to life in stunning detail too, so this is one I’m personally very much looking forward to!

 

#22: MX-25 MAEDAS

Who is it? Omnibot Camshaft

Estimated release: August 2022

The final member of the Omnibot line-up is also currently in the works for August next year and represents Camshaft (known as Downshift in Japan during G1). Turning into a sleek Mazda RX-7, Maedas looks nothing shy of fantastic, and I’m sure all three of these will be a welcome sight in plenty of collector’s ranks come release day.

 

#21: MX-26B BOND AND JAMES (JAPANESE VERSION)

Who is it? Punch/ Counterpunch (Headmasters version)

Estimated release: August 2022

Right, so Battlechargers, Omnibots… who else has yet to be done in MP style? Oh, how about the duplicitous double-spy known as Punch? Yep, both he and his Decepticon alternate identity, Counterpunch are finally being realised for your Masterpiece ranks thanks to XTB, with this release styled after the character’s distinctive appearance in the Japanese Headmasters cartoon, specifically. As well as two robot modes, the toy also features a faithful rendition of the Pontiac Fiero vehicle mode, so this should be an intriguing package all told.

 

#20: MX-26A BOND AND JAMES (AMERICAN VERSION)

Who is it? Punch/ Counterpunch (The Rebirth version)

Estimated release: August 2022

Alongside the Japanese version, there is also a more Sunbow-accurate take on Punch/ Counterpunch on the horizon, with XTB looking to release these two alongside one another, it seems. Fans of the Rebirth often find that the three-part finale is overlooked by third parties who favour the Japanese cartoons for inspiration, so I’m sure this one will be welcome news for many!

 

#19: MX-21 FRANKENSTEIN

Who is it? Autobot Spike / Autobot X

Estimated release: September 2022

Following in September are several unique releases from XTB, the first of which is a non-transforming effort that represents the oddity of Autobot X! Taken from the classic episode, Autobot Spike, this mismatched form was briefly home to the Autobot’s human comrade of the same name, and looks to have been replicated quite faithfully here. This isn’t the first attempt we’ve seen at the character, but it does look to be the most articulated.

 

#18: MX-4 ABADDON WITH BONUS

Who is it? Galvatron

Estimated release: September 2022

At the risk of repeating myself, here is yet another design that XTB has had on the back burner for years now, with Abaddon also first being teased back in 2015. At the time, it seemed like they backed off the idea after FansToys unveiled their own attempt at the character, but now they’re back at it again! Abaddon looks to be mightily cartoon-accurate, although the good news is that XTB likes doing a repaint or two, so I’m personally hoping we might see a G1 toy/ Marvel comics-accurate grey version at some point.

 

 

#17: MX-20 ZEUSAURUS

Who is it? Deathsaurus

Estimated release: September 2022

And finally, we have another new design in the offing for September, with XTB rather ambitiously looking to bring the notorious Deathsaurus to life in 3PMP form! As the main bad guy from Takara’s Victory line, it’s surprising to say that this will be the first attempt at the car in MP scale (with Planet X’s version being too small, truth told), so I’d expect this figure to catch a lot of attention when it finally debuts! Can’t wait.

 

So that’s it for part 2! Join us next time when we’ll be looking at the rest of the September 2022 releases and beyond!

TTFN