My reissue Alert has a big silver paint splotch on the arm.
My TT prowl has a thumbprint on the trunk in the white paint.

This stuff happens.

 

unpainted plastic

 

It has to be an actual transforming F-15 that functions both in robot and plane mode.

 

Exactly; is that so much to ask?

 

Personally, I think the updated Seeker mold definitely had the aesthetic down pat, however the engineering sticks out like a sore thumb. The toys designed post MP10 all had fun transformations with lots of nice sliding motions and minimal fiddling, and only used little parts when necessary. The Seeker mold, however, has clear remnants of its previous designer- the obliques on their swing arm joint are a pain, the shoulders don't plug in anywhere in robot mode, and the torso slider, oh man.

It's the things like that that make the Seeker mold my least favorite MP- it's just lacking that polish I came to expect after years of handling Hasui's work and then getting my first Seeker this year. That being said, I think that, especially with the tightened tolerances many people are reporting on this and no real major paint missing, this guy is a great deal at 60 dollars.

Shouldn't the Hasbro release get its own thread? It would definitely make sense, at this point, and I have a few photos I could toss up.

 

Yup the answer I was looking for. Very frank & straightforward. On top of that it has to include a USAF pilot on loan to us at our service for one year. The pilot is to assist us in flying the perfect transformation jet for joyrides in the sky.

All expenses paid by Hasbro.

 

Takara one has a painted head; noticed it was painted because it scratched while transforming it. Not sure if Hasbro's is actually molded in black.

 

Hasbro head is molded in black...looks good though. Face and eyes are painted. That area is really tight to push the head through. I'd hate to have to worry about paint getting scraped off the head.

 

Cool, thanks. My Masterpice Thundercracker's painted head is almost impossible to not scratch considering how the head has to rub against all those interior parts in order to transform. That really pissed me off and made it hard to enjoy transforming that toy.

 

Did you remember to press his "ears" in to get pass tight spots?

 

Yes, I did, but it's still a tight squeeze.  

 

Then I better be extra careful when I get mine inhand. Thanks for the forewarning.

 

One more TRU flaw to add to my list..
He came with two left ("driver's side") tailfins, so the one on the right sits lower and not as flush.

AGAIN, not a deal-breaker and I don't regret the purchase. The character is iconic, and looks great on the shelf. The alt mode is a great compromise between a real F-15 and a cartoon character.. Looks great. Transformation is fairly easy and way more pleasing than the original mold.

BUT it's labeled "Masterpiece," and shouldn't have so many issues. If this figure was readily available in a store, I would likely take it back to exchange for a better one. The sloppy manufacturing issues on this are really sad.
Is this a Hasbro issue, or is TRU to blame? Anyone know how these exclusives differ in production from a regular release?

 

Your instance is a one off, and I feel bad you did not get the high quality one I purchased. Mine is wonderful.

 

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic... i just got him in the mail today its tight as can be and simply amazing!!
looks great with Apollyon!!

 

There was someone complaining that they got duplicate tail fins too. I don't remember if he has two left or two right, but you might want to do some digging and see if he has what you need. I think I read about it in the Masterpiece Appreciation thread.

 

absolutely no QC issues on mine aside from the sprue marks, but jesus fuck this mold is fiddly. what an unintuitive transformation.

 

^true, but worth it in both modes.

 

Mine is tight. Really tight. Too tight. The plastic tolerances are out of whack on just about every joint.

I can't fold the wings up for robot mode without the left hand wing popping off (too much plastic on the hinge part).

I can't push the neck/shoulder assembly down into place without manually pushing the lateral parts of the chest apart or there's no clearance for the cockpit.

I can't fit the lower part of the cockpit down into the upper part (for robot transformation) without using my fingers to push apart the walls of the cockpit in order to clear space for the amber portion to slot in.

And obviously, the legs telescope as tightly as everyone else's. Shoulder sprues, reversed fingers. No big deals there.

Are these things worth trying to find another one? Do most of you have such unforgiving plastic so desperately in need of trimming or screw loosening or I don't know what?