UPDATE 9/17/2014 - NEW PICS OF STAR SABER!
UPDATE 9/11/2014 - NEW PICS ADDED TO ARTICLE!
Pics of these two are just starting to trickle out, so expect to see many new and better ones soon.
As regular readers of my blog may already know (assuming you read any of this stuff and don't just look at all the pretty pictures), the Transformers Masterpiece line is among my current favorite toy lines-- along with Hot Toys' 12" figures, Masters of the Universe Classics and Marvel Legends.
But I-- as well as probably most other US collectors-- don't care much for the Japanese or other variants in the MP line. No G2 Sidesipe... No King Grimlock... No Sunstorm or Acid Rain for me. I think these two new MP's also fall into that same category.
So, for those of you who aren't Transformers aficionados-- and if you are, you're getting your TF news elsewhere for sure-- you might be asking: Who are "Exhaust" and "Star Saber"?
"Exhaust" is based on what is known as the "Marlboro" or "Marlboor" Wheeljack. He was nick-named this for his paint job resembling that of a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. This version of Wheeljack was released in the original Japanese Takara line before it was brought stateside and re-imagined as the Transformers.
He remains one of the more popular and rare early era "Transformers" that collectors love to add to their G1 collections.
And here's a look at the original "Marlboor" Wheeljack.
So now, let's talk Star Saber.
When the original G1 Transformers cartoon ended in the states, they actually continued on in Japan, although with a decidedly Japanese anime feel.
One of the main characters in those cartoons-- and the most popular, which is why he was chosen by the TF fans as "fan's choice" TF MP figure-- was Star Saber.
He was a member of the "Brain Masters" which is similar to the well-known Head Masters and eventually became the new leader of the Autobots.
Star Saber comes in two parts-- one is robot (simply "Saber") and the other is a battle platform, but the two could combine to form Star Saber.
In the pictures below you can see the comparison between the original Japanese G1 toy and the new Star Saber MP prototype.
Here's the original Star Saber...
...and here's his original box art...
...and his cartoon appearance.
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