I'm deciding to buy a Voltron figure but can't decide between the trendmaster 1997 diecast version, or the Masterpiece version. Anyone know the pros and cons of both?

Do you atleast own one Matchbox? =]

NO I had 2 when I was younger but as I'm the youngest of 6 siblings, one of my older ones let Voltron do a dive bomb off the 3 story deck. Thats why I wanted to get a new one

If you're going to spend 130 something dollars for either, I would consider you go on ebay and buy a matchbox set out of box instead.
In all honesty, I would stay away from the Trendmaster set. It may look very attractive in box with all the non working weapons in it, but trust me, its no good. If you buy a Trendmasters, later down the line, you might be dissapointed and notice the lacking changes with certain features and of course the poor craftsmanship compared to an original.
The colors arent the same either. I still have mine deep in my closet.

You can buy a really nice condition Matchbox Voltron set for 130.00 or even less if you luck out. Im investing my money the same every money. Spending from 60 to 120 for real nice Matchbox sets to build my army of Voltron to take over the wor....uhm...
Anyways,
Im very distant with my Masterpiece from toynami as well since it broke. Its just not a good toy to play with (transform/assemble over and over). Heck, people all over the net even warned me not to play with it. So its not really a toy. Just a fragile transformable/poseable statue to stare at. No weapons aside from the sword and a shield which are both smaller than the original ones, and no firing mechanisms (for something called a masterpiece, common, wheres the gimmicks?) And the details are not as satisfying as the original. They all look like they havent ate in weeks.(not that robots eat food to begin with hah). But in full robot mode, its not bad to look at. Especially when posed. The only downfall, quality.

My personal recommendation, invest your money on a Matchbox Voltron set. If you need help identifying one, let me know.
If you find a Trendmasters, try not to spend over 50.00 dollars for it. No matter what collectors tell you, this set is crap.

I regret that lost my Matchbox Lion and Dairugger sets at least 15 years ago. For my first present day set, I've decided to go with the MPC. (pray for me)

It would be nice if Toynami comes out with accesories and weapons. They're releasing the bookends and stand which is cool, but I'd really like a weapons set. What do you guys think?

The stand does come with the lions' weapons. Do you mean the Golion missiles and things?

Yeah, I meant like the lion weapons (missile launchers, daggers, knives, etc). BTW, I don't think the stand comes with the sword and laserblade.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TOY10190&mode=retail

"*****NOTE - Voltron (with weapons) and Base sold separately."

Another case of false advertising.

If Toynami has a suggestion box, they should be told to give us some extras.

I just found this..Trendmaster's rerelease (Pre-order) for $140?

quote:

Originally posted by captain hutch:
Another case of false advertising.

How is it false advertising when it's clearly stated the sword and shield doesn't come with the stand?

You're right, not really false advertising in the technical sense. The listing does include the text which I mentioned, but I guess I meant the picture alone might mislead folks to think the two accessories came with the stand. The accessories are obviously just there to demonstrate the stand's features and function.

quote:

Yeah, I meant like the lion weapons (missile launchers, daggers, knives, etc). BTW, I don't think the stand comes with the sword and laserblade.

It doesn't come with the sword and shield, which come with the MPV, but the stand does come with the lion blades you see embedded in the base. The other stuff would be nice but I don't really expect it in an American toy.

Theres also abosolutely no springs loaded in the entire set to fire anything.

Consider it this way. The masterpiece is only a poseable statue that is just as fragile. Its not a bulky durable toy. The plastics are weaker than the original toy set and the metal on it is possibly the only real thing that pays homage to the way toys were made back then in Japan.

I almost finally bought one. But once my money was at hand, i couldnt do it.

oops, double posted. (my apologies)