@mjangelvortex
Well, I was a fan of G1 from its beginning, so I’m probably a bit more biased towards the G1 camp. :)
Here’s what the new Masterpiece MP-45 Bumblebee (Ver. 2) looks like.
Now granted, the robot mode looks like it has much beefier limbs and a more well proportioned body than the previous version (MP-21) and closer to the cartoon. The vehicle mode also looks straight out of the cartoon - but that seems to miss the whole point of the Masterpiece line in my opinion.
One of the key selling points for Masterpiece (and what attracted me to it) was that the vehicle modes were officially licensed designs made with the assistance and approval of the likes of Lamborghini, Nissan, and Chevrolet, while the robot modes were well crafted enough to properly evoke how these characters appeared in the animated series. It was an awesome blend of real world technical designs with cartoon fantasy and nostalgia. This captures the cartoon fantasy and nostalgia, but the vehicle design has suffered.
Further, this is taking up a release spot when there are still plenty of other big characters that haven’t had an official release yet - not just Jazz like I mentioned, but also Mirage, Cliffjumper, Trailbreaker, Blaster, Brawn, and the rest of the Dinobots. Though we are apparantly going to get
Hound at some point.