@daddytron , hope those guys' tips were able to help! Cuz I'm sure loving this guy's ab articulation! A little twist, crunch, and tilt gives this figure another dimension of life!

 

I hate to add to the negativity, but my copy was defective as well.   A leg joint is broken and a large conspicuous paint error as well. Amazon.jp has agreed to a replacement so hopefully in a few days I'll have a copy that is usable. Thank you Amazon for making it easy to replace at least!

 

Perhaps "brute force" was a wrong choice of words. I was just trying to convey that it is a very tight connection. Unless my copy was an outlier, I think that ab-crunch lock will require some effort to un-peg. But yes, I agree its best to brace it as best as you can and find the safest way possible to unlock it.

 

Thanks, everyone, this is helpful info. The photos from @GX9901DoubleX showing the locking tab are especially helpful in understanding how the joint works.

I just tried pushing forward/up from the back as described by @Prime of Shadows and mine still won’t budge. I’ll have to work with it some more when I have a moment, gotta stay focused on work right now.

@daddytron let me know if you get yours working.  

Thanks again, everyone!

 

Then you might have to apply a bit of force the first time to unlock it. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Try grabbing firmly on the backpack with your fingers and bracing the front grill with your thumb then rotating the torso forward whilst pulling up. That should do it.

 

Like I said, increasing pressure. The joints are diecast so they can take more strain than the rest of the figure. Just put your thumbs there and push until it pops, don’t be afraid to push a little harder than you think.

 

Given how easy his hands are to take off, I have to imagine a KFC set of hands will be easier to put on than uh, a thing that's easy to put on.

 

One of the knee ratchets on my copy was broken out of the box. Amazon Japan sent me a replacement. I kept the first copy until my second arrived, allowing me to mix and match accessories and choose all the best ones. One matrix had an unpainted part, so I chose to keep the other one. Thanks to the MP-44 fix thread, I even went as far as switching the front upper leg between both my copies. Now my second copy is an absolute winner.   So I advice you to do the same and send your faulty copy back after you've received your new copy.  

 

Except as I understand it, KFC aren’t doing MP hands anymore.

 

KFC hands were garbage anyway

 

Would be cool if somebody made some rounded fingers for sunstreaker for some older MPs like the Datsuns (pretty much all I can think of than I would be interested to purchase, as they're the only ones that fit in perfectly with new releases except for the hands)

 

That's exactly what I needed to see, thanks! Now I just need to safely get it out.

 

Oh boy oh boy oh boy love this figure! Took me over an hour to transform but so worth it

 

A bit off topic but I filled out the survey.

I told them the following:
-Current release pace & number of figures is fine
-lower prices would be better
-need better QC at the factory
-need more durable paint

Also asked for the following figures:
-all of BW season 1
-Jazz
-more season 3 characters (especially Arcee)
-Bruticus or another combiner

One of the questions was: "Which MPs do you own or have on preorder?". Selectable were all the toys from MP30 Ratchet up to MP48 Lio Convoy. Interestingly enough, MP45 Bumblebee was missing from the list.

 

Got it!!

I ended up loosening the screws on the back of his pelvis and that set it free. Tightened them back up after the joint was out and now it pops in and out easily.

Thanks again for all the photos and advice on making that work!

 

This is the weekend I finally get to play with mine.

@malware5 , good ol buddy, I'll make sure to tag you with my thoughts on it. I did not mean to ignore your question.

 

I would also like to suggest not more random extras that increase the price for nothing i would gladly lost those extras and just get the cab and a gun, for 150 that 400 for a bunch of accesories i would never use , in case of mp dinobot i would like a version without stand, golden disk ect at a more affordable price i would not mind it having normal paint applications

 

Starting to photograph MP-44! Here's a taste:

 

Can someone post a picture of Optimus in which his legs are as high up to his head as possible, as in seeing if his legs can go over his head.

 

Sorry if this has been mentionned before, despite the fact I'm following this thread, what would be the matching paint for the grey around the chest ? My copy is nice but has a chip in the front