Hm so looks like the blotch on mine wasn't an isolated case.

 

I picked up Mp12 myself while in Tokyo over the weekend for ~USD$70.

Overall impression: Great design and engineering let down by really poor manufacturing and quality control.

The paint apps are really sloppily done. The red paint itself has a few noticeable specks of dust and areas where the paint was applied too heavily. The left side of mine doesn't really join well together in car mode.

The plasic wheels feel cheap. The front wheels don't spin freely and have a bit of a wobble due to a slightly bent or misaligned axle.

Which is a real shame really, because overall I really like the engineering that has gone into it. Both robot and car mode look great. I find the way the legs transform a clever alternative to the usual telescoping thighs.

The quality of the build and finish is definitely not on par with what I have come to expect from the Masterpiece series.

 

I have to wonder if those ordering from BBTS will have the same problems with their MP-12's, or if there's a defective batch.

 

Ouch.. those paint QC issues look awful  

I'm getting mine on Xmas, so hopefully it doesn't look too bad.

For those holding off for a Hasbro US release, I wouldn't count on it. First of all, for a toy that barely passes as a Voyager, they'd have a hell of time selling it for more than $40. Maybe as an SDCC exclusive or something. Second, don't they need to pay Lamborghini for the license? Just doesn't seem worth all of the trouble...

 

Now extra glad I ordered from BBTS. I have the piece of mind that if I get some horrendous paint problems, they'll easily replace it. It's possible that the people that are complaining just got unlucky and the majority of them are good. People with good ones are less likely to jump on a message board and talk about it. Either way, bad QC like this isn't acceptable.

 

I'll only return mine if the paint job is terrible. I'm okay with a fixable blemish, though.

 

A small problem here or there is expected. You can't catch every small flaw. It's the big stuff like horrible overspray or splotches on other bits, especially white bits, that are kind of insane to miss.

 

Yea, the overspray on the white portions is probably an automatic return for me.

 

Not sure why BBTS or other local retailers would have less issues. Maybe a second or later run would have fewer paint issues as the engineers catch what is going on and do a running change - but I assume these first pieces were all made around the same time and all have the same issues.

 

Complex does not always mean well designed. While all of those are good figures, none of them are even nearly on the same calibre as Masterpiece Sideswipe when it comes to design.
And why does complexity matter on how good a figure is? This Sideswipe is exactly as complex as it needs to be to have a show accurate robot and a vehicle accurate car. Should they have added in pointless shuffling around of parts just s it seems more complex? It gets the job done perfectly.

 

I'm not dismissing what you have to say, but there may have been a minor - potentially significant - gap in time between other retailers getting their orders in versus BBTS. Or perhaps these reports are just a few bad apples and not necessarily a reflection of the toy. Time will tell.

 

thread needs more pics.

 

A bitch-free post. Imagine that. Thanks for the photos.

 

  I could find stuff to bitch about if I wanted to but taking photos of a beautiful toy is far more enjoyable than pissing on it.

 

Did anyone receive/order the Amazon one with the extra whatever it was, or are we just looking at the standard MP-12 at this point?

 

what is that other sideswipe you have in your pics?

 

Universe 2.0 Sideswipe.

 

think one person said they did a couple pages back

 

mine came today! great figure!

 

I think you're confusing design, engineering and aesthetics.