Not to split hairs, but I'm pretty sure this is the main thread for it.

Nice work with the pictures of the shoulder though.

 

Yeah, I got them flipped. Thought I posted here and linked there not vice versa. My bad.

 

This is really looking like an incredible figure for the price

 

It is a really incredible figure. It looks so much better than the straight OS KO version. And the quality is pretty good, just take to loosen the shoulder screws on the wrap-around panel before you transform it.

 

No, you're right, it was about $65 when originally on Preorder, but then the final price went up a couple of times until the current $86. Not sure what prompted the increase, but it came from the factory rather than ShowZ.

I do like that ShowZ honored the lower price on PO deposits and fully paid orders. $20 doesn't seem like a whole lot these days but I can get an extra MFT figure or a deluxe for that price.

 

In this hobby, especially if you're just starting out, saving $5 - $15 a figure matters. Cause you add that up and it's an extra figure or two every several purchases.

 

Mine finally arrived. I loosened the screws but he still transformed into a partsformer during my first transformation  

Looks pretty good. I'm pleased to find that his chest windows can be posed so they're angled and not just straight forward. Plastic feels cheap but not super bad and the surface finish and paint make up for it. Those lower legs are scary but they seem pretty durable so it's probably fine. He'll make a nice desk bot while Freedom Leader will end up being my main Movie Op. Oh, and I guess everybody said how big he was but I was still surprised - he's somewhere in the vicinity of MP01 in size - roughly 12 inches or so. Surprising given that I got him for like $65.

 

It's more that it needs force to close and as soon as you release the pressure, it pops off. I'm guessing that there may be some flash in the hinge that is causing some resistance when trying to close the piece - but when I look at the hinge, I don't see anything.

The tab at the front of the crotch piece just looks like a rectangle with no lip to 'catch' the piece that folds.

Really just wondering if anybody else has had any issues with it closing flush and pegging in and holding or if it's just a one off...

 

Sounds like a one off. Mine arrived yesterday and has no problems. Well, both of those front shoulder panels snapped off, and the inner foot panels (the ones that connect to the heels) are super loose and the screws are stripped so that I can't tighten them. And his left foot is a little loose so I have to be careful how I pose him so he doesn't take a shelf dive. Okay, he has problems. But so far mine doesn't have that crotch flap problem. Hope you're able to find a solution.

Also, unrelated to all of that, I'm trying to decide how I want to handle faction logos. If I put them where they're meant to be, they'll be upside down in alt mode  

 

Something to keep in mind, is that in order to 'snag' preorder customers - retailers will often put up a preorder. Sometimes the prices listed will be as per the manufacturer's estimate, sometimes it's the retailer's estimate, sometimes there is no price. Not all retailers do this (if you don't like it - just don't buy from them) and generally I don't see North American retailers engage in the 'no preorder price' approach. Not saying it's good or bad, it's just the way it is.

Buyers are usually rewarded by preordering like this since you get it first, you get it at the cheapest price listed (prior to release) and if you order from a good retailer, you only put down $1-$2 as a preorder amount. The only downside is that you can't wait for reviews to see if the figure is a dud. It's a trade-off, but one that I'm happy to make on figures I know I'm going to buy anyways...

To be angry that the price went up (which I am 99.9% sure was at the factory/manufacturer level) is a bit silly IMO. Who knows why it went up - maybe the item cost more to make then expected, maybe the factory wanted more profit - no one will ever know, but you can always vote with yoru dollars and not buy. Being mad that you missed out on the previous 'cheaper' price is like being mad you missed out on a sale. Oh well - move on with your life.

I think the logical thing to do when deciding to buy/not buy would be to compare the current price to what you get in the figure. $80 for a OS MP syle bot with major mold changes, LED heads (x2), LED gun, LED ax, isn't bad at all.

Personally, I think this figure is pretty awesome at $80 and a steal at $60.

Sure I've got some issue with the crotch piece pegging in properly (anybody else?), but it's not the end of the world.

@octobotimus - What is the decline in quality you are concerned about? Which figures were good and which are bad in your mind? Just curious...

@kronatron - The fact that @ShowZStore honored the $20 price difference is AMAZING. $20 on an $85 figure (including shipping) is likely more than the profit they are making on the figure which means they lost money by honoring those pre-orders. They put their customers first even if it meant losing money on the item. Hell - Amazon cancels pricing errors frequently and they are hella bigger than Show Z!

 

What’s the difference between this and the Weijiang one?

 

Are you referring to the God of War version?

If so, that one is a direct oversized knock off, so it looks almost exactly like the Studio Series version, just much larger.
This has several modifications and looks much closer to the movie character in form and also has some die-cast. But it's still based on the SS version.

 

I was thinking of picking up this figure, but if I understand correctly, placing a faction logo on the shoulder would result on it being upside down in truck mode? Isn't this based off of SS-38, how would that end up upside down?

 

WJ Fire scorpion is modified and looks pretty good imo.

 

Yeah I was guessing that besides the God of War one from WJ that they had another one too. Is the fire scorpion the same size as the old AoE evasion ko. I was hoping to get 2007 movie and this BB movie WJ the same size as their M01 Commander

 

It's been modified from ss-38. I've never handled the original but I'm guessing the panel doesn't flip over on that one. I'd guess they made a larger piece that was kibbly on ss-38 fold up and wrap around the shoulders on this guy. I'll probably just put faction logos on his shoulders and accept that they'll be upside down in truck mode.

 

Not 100 percent sure but I think fire scorpion is like 4 cm bigger. M01 is 28cm I think and this new WJ BB Optimus is supposed to be 32cm.
Check out the thread for it.
Fire Scorpion Bumble Bee Movie Optimus Prime

 

With all the ko’s of this figure it took me a minute to track this guy down lol. Did WJ also do a 2007 movie op in this size? I want to sell off the studio series ones to replace with this size

 

I also think bmb lightly modified MPM04 might be same size as the fire scorpion from WJ.

Think if your looking for m01 size, probs TW, and black apples/ WJ heavily modified MPM04 might be what your looking for. Maybe..lol.

 

Mine just arrived. Purchased on eBay from someone in the States, got here in 3 days. Paid $81 with tax.

Pictures don’t really do this guy justice presence-wise. This is well done. I haven’t transformed him yet so can’t speak to the QC issues yet. But he looks great for a modified OSKO. I’m impressed.

I’ll update my post after messing with it. I’m going to pop the Cybertron hubcaps off first.

Edit: He’s missing his right foot cover/hinge thingy.

First transformation to alt mode was a little tedious. A spudger helped. Some tight joints. Back of the legs were really firm and the rectangular side pod things felt like they wouldn’t move, the feet are also scary tight. I couldn’t get the left side cab panels perfect but the right side were all flush. Nothing broken. Transformed him back and everything tabs into place.

Again, he looks really good. Legs do not seem as thin as they do in pics. Paint and details are all well done.

@rubadubspawn, his crotch had a slight gap initially but I pressed it in and it seems to hold tight. We’ll see after a couple transformations.