Many thanks for a very thorough review. If there was any question I had about this figure, it's now been answered. Am starting to look forward to gettting mine.

Not a big fan of panel lining myself as well. Especially when it's black it looks like a drawing and not of a real thing.

If I'm going to put panellining on MP-11 (got to receive him first) it'll be in a shade of gray slightly darker than the figure. That way the lines will be more realisitic IMO.

 

Got mine yesterday and there is no comparison the new one is miles better than the original.

The original looks like a piece of junk compared to it now (I never cared much for the white USA Starscream in particular).

Great review!

Randy

 

Looks like I'll be owning my 8th Masterpiece seeker soon.

 

Hmm. Interesting review. Can't say I agree with the sentiment that this figure is superior in most ways to the previous seeker mold. I mean, I'm all for supporting a new figure, as we don't want Takara to suffer financially, but pretending something is superior, just because it's new seems a little silly to me.

My thoughts on specific points:
• The face/head on MP3 is far superior, it offers two faces, and it's a nicer sculpt. The Mp11's face doesn't look like any Starscream I've ever seen. I think it looks almost feline, and the curved cheeks are a bit feminine.
• The nullrays/weapons on Mp11 being mounted on ugly struts/bars make the jet mode look ridiculous, and if you pop them off the arms in robot mode, you're left with gigantic ball joint ports that stick out like a sore thumb. Also, you don't get the missile option for jet mode, which looked awesome on MP3.
• The crooked nose thing has indeed been an issue on some toys, but I do seem to remember there being a simple solution to this, I can't remember right now, but I'm sure someone will chime in. Anyway, it's barely noticeable, and to point it out as a big flaw, when Mp11 makes the jet-mode look toyish (in comparison), seems a little ridiculous.
• The new feet on Mp11 look pretty bad, first off, he now has gigantic high heels, and secondly, the feet do not sit flush with the ground at any position, so he always looks "uncomfortable".
• The hip kibble on MP3 could always be attached to the lower leg in order to achieve the same look that iGear and Mp11 boasts. Only gripe I have about it, is that the vertical stabilizers are very close to the ground and can make posing a little more limited than when they're on the hips.
• Poseability should be roughly the same, if not BETTER on MP3, my reasoning for this is that Mp11 doesn't appear to have movable hip skirts, and MP3 does. This moveable hip skirting allows the hip joints to swing forward nice and far, but many people are unaware of this. I don't require the display stand to pose my MP3 mold seekers dynamically.
• The jet mode definitely does NOT look "sleeker", Mp11 makes it look like a cheaper toy, with robot mode parts way more visible (which gives a jagged, un-smooth appearance), and the truly awful way that the null rays attach under the wing, and the lack of missile options, and the lack of display stand all equal a vehicle mode that is definitely a step down, any other conclusion seems kind of deluded to me.

I'm sure there are some other things I could compare, but I don't want to be typing all morning. I like elements of this new Mp11, but I wouldn't buy it unless it was on sale by a wide margin. To those who prefer it, I'm happy for you, but let's not attempt to claim the original mold was flawed, when in reality, it was an excellent design that was simply a different "flavor". I do like the solid grey appearance almost as much as the white "walmart" SS, but the mold changes to the jet form kind of ruin its appeal for me, personally.
No disrespect intended by my differing with your points of view. Cheers!

 

If there was a like button here, I would be hitting that thing. I totally agree with all points (except that I like the hip scabbards, they add dynamism to the figure and movement, which I love). I thought that the review was excellent because these points were expressed as opinions, rather than 'this one is definately better than the previous version which is now horrible' and that's what I look for in a review. That said, put me down as another devoted fan of the original version who simply prefers it.

To me, copying the limitations of the 80's animation (flat colours because frames were hand drawn, for example) or 80's engineering (dropping the CFTs and exposing the robot colour panels because it was that specific model of F-15) kind of goes against what I personally want from the MP line.

I am not going to tell anyone who likes this that they are wrong, and I am not ruling out picking one up in the future, but it's a different figure trying to do different things and appeal to a different collector - which is exactly what a second version should do. I happen to be in the smaller group who wanted what MP-03 delivered over and above what MP-11 does.

 

Great review! Agreed on all points, especially the face sculpt.

Never did like the head on MP-03, which is why I never opened the box. I always figured someone would make a replacement head it was so bad, but I never saw one. Now I can finally have an MP Starscream worthy of display.

Oh and the colors are a ton better. A wash would've been disappointing; out of place with every other MP figure. You can always add a wash if you want, but it's a lot harder to take it off.

 

That was a great review - now I can tell he's worth the money I laid out to get him. More than worth it, it seems like!

Should be here tomorrow...

 

Yeah that's another good point along the lines of what I posted; even among other seekers the wash wouldn't really fit. At least a black or dark was would look harsh on Sunstorm, redundant on Skywarp and probably a bit tacky on Thundercracker, particularly if he were to have a metallic deco in the MP-11 format.

 

He looks awesome!

 

The main difference between this new one and the old one is the focus. The old one, the focus was on the Jet mode, and the bot mode suffered because of it. This time around, the Bot mode is the focus and the Jet mode suffers as a result, though not too much.

My MP-11 came in yesterday, and I have to say that it is my favorite version of the 2 toys.

 

I agree on all points - especially about the hip articulation. It seems strange that they would update and 'improve' a mold and then make the articulation more limited. They claim the new MP line is meant to be more playable, but Prime and now Starscream having limited hip movement kind of goes against that.

Anyway, I feel like I've been moaning about this toy far more than I should. I guess I just "don't get it" and will have to leave it at that.  

Oh, excellent review BTW, Shin!

 

Yes I admit he looks fantastic, but $160 is a joke!

 

I got mine from HLJ for $162 shipped EMS. IT would have been $10-15 cheaper if I had gone with SAL shipping, but that takes a month sometimes. For that price, it's excellent.

 

Could someone please confirm if the hip skirts on the updated mold do not move?

 

I saw a minor stressmark. And I wonder for the hinges areas, are there a lot of stressmark?

Does it have any major production fault like MP09 that we better wait for another reissue for this?

So far the only complaint I heard is that when you move the hands up, the upper body will be moved up too.

 

This is better than I expected.

But I still have to go Greenscream all the way. I LOVE that toy. G1 Starscream was the only original seeker I never got. I've always disliked the color scheme, and I found the characters whining on the cartoon obnoxious.

I loved how Greenscream took some risks and updated a few things (similar to how the alternators were updating things). I've always been a little disappointed he was the only MP mold to take such chances.


The one thing I do find very disappointing about the new MP11 (he really is nicer than expected) is the plastic. I've noticed with recent MP's that they are using less paint than you'd expect. But the plastic choices have been very nice and given the toys a very good look. MP11's plastic does look more toyish than others (except maybe MP9). I'm a bit concerned if this ends up being a new trend in the toy line.

 

Fantastic review.

Once I have the money, I will definitely pick this up.

 

I think it looks great, but the hip kibble never bothered me and I see no reason to replace my Walmart MP Starscream. The only problem I have with this release is that it I think it greatly reduces my already small chances of getting an MP Thundercracker that matches the other two older model MP Seekers.

 

Attempting to evaluate toys made for foreign markets based on American pricing doesn't really work.

 

Great review.

I get the panel lining thing, but put me in the camp that you can't have it both ways. Panel lines look better in alt but make a G1 deco look"off" in bot mode. Which do we want more?