I just got Cybertron Thundercracker, and I'm very disappointed. I like the jet mode. The orange detailing looks very nice, it's muscular-looking without being bulky, and the missiles molded under the wings are a nice touch. It all falls apart in robot mode, though. For this kind of transformation (your basic Cyberjet transformation), you need everything to hold together well, becuase it's naturally going to try to separate. The only pegs Thundercracker has are the ones that hold the cockpit to the torso piece. There's nothing that holds the torso to the back, and nothing that holds the arm to the torso. He's pretty damn floppy. This problem is exacerbated by the cannon arm. THe cannon itself doesn't look too bad, but the extra weight keeps dragging it down to the side. It's impossible to keep the shoulder of the cannon arm even with the torso, so his shoulder looks permanently dislocated. The actual "arm" on which the cannon arms swings is very loose, as is the shoulder joint. When you have this much weight on an arm, the joint has to be tight. And while one of his arms is too big, the other is too tiny. The material also feels cheap. I recognize that the softer plastic may be a necessity, and it is more durable. That isn't my problem. The problem is that the hinge on which his torso section flips over is already showing major stress marks, and I've only transformed him twice. Thundercracker looks cool in vehicle mode, but that isn't even enough to save his floppy mess of a robot mode. I'm going to return him to the store.
Well done review, you pretty much nailed this one. I as well was very disappointed with this toy. Like you said very flimsy and floppy especially his arms in robot mode. The plastic on this toy is very low quality I know you mentioned yours was already showing stress marks, as for mine it actually broke right out of the packaging, I actually returned mine as well was thinking about exchanging it and keeping it sealed but I just wanted my money back as it was just so bad. His jet mode is cool if you just want it for that but if you want it for the robot mode stay away as not only is it made out of low quality plastic but is very flimsy regardless and you cant really play with him and only really has one half decent pose. My recommendation stay away this toy really does stink, NOT RECOMMENDED!
I'm glad I decided to give this one a miss just based on his robot mode appearance--after the debacle that was Superion Maximus I don't want any more flop bots.
Now I worry about my own Thundercracker, I've got him preordered so when he gets here that's the one I get, refund's a little harder. Hopefully I get a sturdy one cause I do like the figure. Worst is this makes me worry about the quality of most of the others I have preordered, Landmine's supposed to be safe enough but otherwise... I really hope I get lucky on this one.
Yes Indeedy, Thundercracker Sucks. Wish I had read this thread before yesterday. Thundercrapper is a total waste of 9.99.
i was thinking of getting him when he came out in the US, and leaving him in the box...but now if I do, i'll make sure never to take him out. thanks
He is one of the sexiest looking jets around, but I agree about his robot mode. I did find that there is a way to kinda attach his cannon arm shoulder to the front torso. There's a kinda slot to push it into. Still not very stable, and the other shoulder is to big to push into a similar slot.
I just got this guy (along with a few Autobots) and I don't understand all the hate. His bot mode stays together fine, and he's got pretty good poseability. I like the way his nose come tucks up out of the way, in bot mode. Wonder how long before that becomes the basis of an off color comic. Personally, I'm just happy to finally have a plane based TF that not only has a realistic alt mode, but also lacks the ten ton undercarriage that's plagued TF jets since G1.
I love Thundercracker. Just got him today, and he's great. I love his jet mode... that's the whole reason i wanted him so bad. A TF jet with undercarriage that actually blends in well? Sweet. And the fact that he's realisic is another bonus. The soft plastic used on his tailfins and front wings isn't all that bad... better than the stuff used on Megatron. [I returned him... Megatron was a HUGE dissapointment to me.] No warping or anything on mine, so that's good. His bot mode didn't attract me nearly as mush as his jet mode, but I still thought it looked cool. But now that i have him in person, I like it a lot. The huge cannon for an arm is cool... looks stupid in the "opened" position and the Force Chip inserted, but it fires just fine in normal mode, so it's all good. Nice tight joints all around, too, with the exception of the panel his cannon arm is attatched to. But i just popped that off of the body, applied a little glue and it's perfect now. Holds all kind of ploses. He may be my favourite Seeker toy ever.
When I first got TC, I loved his jet mode, and I hated his bot mode. But I've decided that it's best not to comment on a figure until one has played with it for while. I've had him for about a week and, after fiddling with his joints, I was able to make him tighter and now I actually like him alot. His Vehicle mnode is pure love, and his robot mode is actually very poseable. His cannon arm looks very nice, like it's ready to unleash it's "thunder-helll" out on all unwary foes. He's very reminescent of G1 TC without being a complete homage to him. I absolutely love the molded on missiles. In the end, I'd suggest picking him up, with the knowledge that he'll be floppy at first, but a little bit of pressure on the peg, and his awesome vehicle mode makes up for it.
Thundercracker's engineering simply raises eyebrows all around. His jet mode is very solid, but whose bright idea was it to make the 'bot mode so that nothing locks down anywhere. Thankfully, most of the joints on mine are sufficiently tight, except for the one that holds his left arm up. I used some superglue around the peg, and now the friction is strong enough to hold that arm up properly. I didn't like wedging the shoulder piece into the chest, as it doesn't really hold all that well in the first place, plus then it doesn't match up symmetrically with the right arm. I actually like him more than I thought I would, as mine at least is suprisingly stable. I honestly wonder what was going on in the engineer's mind, though.
I'm not sure if or when I will get Thundercracker. I'll wait for him to go on sale. More then likely tho he will remain moc and hang on my wall. It's still a pretty bi IF tho.
I'm quite certain that the figures are identical, minus the Decepticon sigil Hasbro put on him for the Cybertron release. And I'm not sure why you're automatically assume that Takara's version has higher quality plastic, there's no precedent for that at all, AFAIK.
Overall, I'd say that you're probably right and Hasbro probably wouldn't make the entire thing out of cheaper plastic. However, I do believe Vector Prime is a good example of a figure where the Takara version featured better plastic on some parts rather than using the ruberized stuff.
But that's not a matter of quality. The soft plastic is in no way less quality than the harder stuff, and it's actually more expensive to produce. The decision to use it is an entirely conscious one, stemming from a desire to produce something both safe and durable. I've heard several reports of people having broken their GF Vector Prime swords at the base of the handle. No such cases with Cybertron Vector Prime, however. Sure, you have to get used to the flexiness of the parts, but there's a trade-off there, in that you don't have to worry about the thin, fragile pieces breaking so easily.
I could really go for picking up a Decepticon Deluxe figure... and at the moment, thundercracker is the only one out who isn't fugly... Actually, I think he's the only decepticon deluxe besides Dirtboss, who... ugh. No way am I spending money on that. While I hated TC's cannon-arm at first, it's becoming less and less hard to look at... but the whole not-stable thing worries me. I don't have the figure yet, but if I do pick him up, and he is floppy and/or loose, what are some easy ways to fix him up? I saw something about superglue... And I had the wing problem with my Hot Shot, I fixxed that very easily by taking a precision screwdriver kit, dismantling the back part and reassembling it, tightening the screws and such. Worked great. Anything this easy for a TC fix?
