ToysRUS Only Rodimus Prime+Offshoot

Yeah - QC on this figure seems to be all over the place. I mean, what are the odds of getting two defective figures in a row? Part of me wants to try my luck a third time, if only to be able to display Hot Rod with MP Prime's hands around his throat...

I feel like a dodged a bullet. Due to my local TRU moving locations I had to buy one sight unseen off the 'net. If all these "arm fell off" posts had been up before I ordered one I probably wouldn't have. Luckily mine has zero issues and it's a great piece. Also Offshoot>trailer which would be sitting in the box not on display.

Hisashi Yuki: G1 characters are typical heroic-looking Japanese robots, while the movie characters have monster-like appearances. I think the former shouldn't be made into the latter.

Well, damn. Will I be getting a good one or a box of parts Friday? I hope the surprise is a pleasant one. If not, then to hell with it. I'm not going to buy more hoping for one that's not pre-broken. Maybe a Takara version 2, depending on reviews.

OK, I have a version 2 Takara on the way, but after reading through this thread, I though I'd check my local TRU and see if he was in stock. He was, so I drove 30 miles to grab him. I don't know why I did it. I guess I'm crazy or something! Anyway, they had 4 in stock, one with bad paint apps, one one with a clearly stressed shoulder and two that looked good. I grabbed the two good ones and a Generations Red Alert and checked out. Got to the SUV and opened first Roddy. Shoulder was broken, right out fo the box, arm just fell off. So I put him back in the box and opened the second one. He looked fine, so I shook him and bent him and everything seemed fine. No stress marks, nothing falling off. (I'm so glad I checked this before I drove all the way home). So I went back inside and having a plan, I asked for the manager. When he came to the service desk I showed him the broken Roddy and asked how many had been returned. He said he had lost count. I told him how far I had driven and how much trouble and GAS it would have been if I had drove home before opening them and he said he was very sorry. I told him it was cool and asked what would happen to the broken Roddy, he said it would be sent back. So I said, what about the targetmaster? He isn't broken... What happens if he isn't in the box when it get's sent back? He smiled, he knew where I was going with ths. He opened the box and handed me Offshoot and said "Have a nice day sir." So I walked out with an extra Offshoot!

When I got home the first thing I did was recheck my good Roddy and everything still looked fine, so I inspected the other items from the box. Everyting was fine, except BOTH Offshoots! THe crothc on both of them wouldn't snap into place, seeing there was a small screw, I started taking it apart and it turned out all it needed was a bit of glue where it clips at the bottom, letting it dry, then putting the screw back in. Now they are perfect. Next I transformed Roddy into car mode, at which point I noticed the orange paint on the hinge for the windshield was chipped, because it hits the engine. I ignored that as normal wear and moved on. Got him into car mode after a LOT of work. Those ankles are a pain, even when you know where they go. Then the hands still acted crazy for a bit, but once it was all settled, all four wheels touched the ground with no gaps. I was so happy about how good he looked and I was tempted to leave him in car mode forever since I knew my Takara one would be here soon, but my need to mod everything overpowerd that urge. Back into robot mode he went. I did the leg mod to give him the extra 1/4 inch at the hip, which is the BEST mod ever! Now the difference between Hot Rod and Rodimus is much better. He holds his guns well in his right hand, haven't checked the left yet. Offshoot fits the engine, but is a bit loose. I figure after a bit of future finish, he will be near perfect. For $65 he's nice, real nice. I'm glad I was dumb enough to go get him after already buying the Takara one. If I keep him, one will be Rodimus and the other will be Hot Rod. If you are on the fence about him and can't afford the Takara V2, Find a TRU with a few in stock and buy one, take it to the car, open it, check it out, if need be, repeat this until you have a good one. As long as it isn't broken right out of the box, I think you'll like it.
(Sorry for the long read, just wanted to get the entire story on here.)

That's the first I've heard about a bad Offshoot/Firebolt.

There's been other issues as well but I can't remember what they were offhand. I think wrong feet or something like that which hindered transformation.

Yeah, the unclipped crotch piece and two of the same lower legs have been the main issues with him.

Thank goodness! I seem to have gotten a decent one today. The box was kinda beat up, and there was no popcorn, bubble wrap, or even wadded up newspaper to protect him. I was pretty sure I'd have a problem.
The way they packaged him, why do they even need twist ties? He was locked in. I bet alot of people break their figures from just pulling it out of the tray without pushing the indentations in. Offshoot's barrels are askew from being stuck in so tight.
Offshoot's neat, but gun mode sucks. You know it does, when g1's targetmasters look better.
It seems like the black leg pieces at the hip should click out once more to extend the legs, but no. So there's the mod, huh? I'm not too good at that stuff. Is it a difficult fix?

The mod is REALLY simple. Take the screw out of the back of the upper thigh. The red pieces will come apart, now you will be at the black piece. One screw in it and now you are at the actual joint. You will notice the top corner of the joint is cut off, but the bottom corner is not. Just sand or cut the bottom corner to match the top and then put everything back together. It's just four screws and two cuts or some sanding. I just used a sharp knife and it took me about five minutes and made a BIG change in height. If you need pics, I know there are some on the forums somewhere, because that's where I found out about the mod, but you will just have to search, since I can't remember where I saw them. It's easy to see what needs to be done if you just take it apart and just look at it.

^Oh, cool, I can do that. Thanks, Armoredrah. I like to have as much info as I can get before taking apart an expensive figure.