MP-44 KO

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by octobotimus, Mar 2, 2020.

  1. atomD21

    atomD21 Not made of sterner stuff...

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    Ok, so I've transformed this thing to vehicle mode a few times, following a video to make sure I got it right, and I cannot get the grille to tab up enough to keep it from rubbing on the ground. I am not sure what I'm doing wrong...
     
  2. 6Trash9

    6Trash9 Fist of the North Star

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    your matrix chamber is probably misaligned, happened to mine
     
  3. atomD21

    atomD21 Not made of sterner stuff...

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    The funny part is that I pushed the pin out so I could properly realign it. Oh well, I probably won't be transforming him much anymore anyway, as the hips get more loose each time...
     
  4. 6Trash9

    6Trash9 Fist of the North Star

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    maybe something is out of place? that whole matrix chamber is confusing where it needs to be in alt mode
     
  5. atomD21

    atomD21 Not made of sterner stuff...

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    No idea... That whole transformation gets confusing! Fun, but confusing.
     
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  6. MrOrange645

    MrOrange645 Well-Known Member

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    I just did all the fixes tonight. I had a terrible time getting the knees fixed, and wound up chewing up some of the white plastic in the second hinge track.

    Come to find out, on the left knee, the back of the knee wouldn't clear the upper thigh on the top hinge. Took me forever to realize where it was hanging up, because I hadn't seen anyone else with that issue. I took that knee apart twice (I HATE springs), before I realized the issue. Shaved off some extra plastic and all is well, I suppose. That ratchet in the lower hinge sure sounds soft, doesn't it?

    Everything else was pretty good on mine, and @God Orion PDF was a lifesaver! I really didn't have to loosen any screws, but lubed where it said. All I could find was 3-In-1 silicone lube. I've ordered some silicone grease to redo the knees (ugh) with grease later.

    I shaved a few tabs here and there, but still have to do the mail polish trick on a few others. My left forearm panel fits pretty good now too. I spent a long time filing and shaving various parts of that panel and the forearm itself, but it tabs and stays just fine.

    AND, I transformed him into alt mode tonight. Followed the stop motion video, which was perfect. I have to say, compared to others I've seen, mine all lined up really well. I was even able to get both fuel tanks straight and tabbed in. But if you touch them, look at them, or even THINK about them, they will pop out, but once displayed they stay.

    As far as opinions:

    1. Its worth the $90 I spent, for sure. I really love him at that price.

    2. Considering many of the issues with this figure are also present in the official, I would be not be happy with him at $450. Although I realize this one has MORE issues than the original, I'm not disputing the lower quality, but at quarter or fifth the price...well worth it IMO.

    3. Speaking of the mold itself, not official vs KO, but the actual design... it's beautiful. The engineering is incredible. I like it much more in person than I thought I would. However, TE-01 is still my Optimus Prime. If quality, playability, and price were all equal, I'd take TE-01 any day of the week.

    I have MP-01, MP-10, MP-44 KO, two TE-01s, MS-01, and MS-01X, and I love all of them. But at the end of the day, TE-01 is just my favorite.

    Here's some pics of the alt mode, as if you all haven't seen them a million times. I was just happy to get him transformed without damage. And I pretty much manhandled him. I wasn't gentle during transformation, and I didn't even get a stress mark. 20201031_003046.jpg 20201031_003320.jpg 20201031_003301.jpg 20201031_003244.jpg 20201031_003225.jpg 20201031_003205.jpg 20201031_003146.jpg 20201031_003132.jpg 20201031_003116.jpg
     
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  7. Shanxs

    Shanxs Open your eyes. Can't you see?

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    I think this guys profession is truck driver.
    He sure love trucks.
    Especially that red blue one that screams Prime Time!
     
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  8. MrOrange645

    MrOrange645 Well-Known Member

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    What can I say? He was my favorite growing up!

    I'm also starting on painting the Matrix. The chrome is so shiny, it's hard to capture the copper paint in a photo, but I added the first layer of copper tonight and will work on finishing it up next week. Need to look at some pics of the Matrix from the movie.

    By the way, I really enjoyed the transformation. It wasn't nearly as frustrating as I thought it would be.

    My BIGGEST disappointment with MP-44 is actually the Matrix chamber itself. Or lack of one I should say. For trying so hard to nail toon accuracy, they missed that by a mile. Again, TE-01 nailed the chamber itself.

    20201031_011817.jpg 20201031_011747.jpg 20201031_011738.jpg
     
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  9. God Orion

    God Orion Well-Known Member

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    They are definitely not mate. The official is perfect once the knees are fixed!
     
  10. aledromo

    aledromo Decepticon at the Gate

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    perfect outside of overuse of fragile paint. ;) 
     
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  11. Unicron129

    Unicron129 Well-Known Member

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    that shelf needs a WST Prime with trailer. They probably have some at Heerotoys

     
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  12. God Orion

    God Orion Well-Known Member

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    Even with some heavy use, I have very little paint chipping on mine. Actually, I think the only area that has some has had it straight when I got it. The paint is quite durable on the official.
     
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  13. MrOrange645

    MrOrange645 Well-Known Member

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    I was referring to your statement in the PDF: "Most issues come from the original design flaws..."

    Which makes sense. Issues with the knee designs, and even a lot of the issues of the panels not lining up quite right.

    For instance, what I've seen of the original design on the official copy, the gas tanks oftentimes won't line up in alt mode. Not as bad as the KO, but they still have issues. The windshield doesn't line up perfectly either on the official. And I believe someone in this thread said they had the same issue with the left forearm panel on their official MP44. Even the bent antennas were on the official. And wasn't wobbly/loose hips an issue on the official as well?

    Now obviously, the KO introduced other problems. Like you said in your PDF, tolerance issues from lack of paint. Extra plastic from the mold, or tabs/hooks that are too big or too aggressively shaped compared to the original. Also, the plastic appears to be lower quality. I can't say that for sure, unless I had an offical copy that was stripped of all it's paint to directly compare the plastics, but I definitely agree the KO plastic feels strangely soft.

    So I'm not arguing that the official is much better than the KO, I just think it obviously has its own issues, and again, for $450, I would be very upset with it. The KO has MORE issues, but for $89, I can overlook them and have a great bot on my shelf.

    And I really wish I felt comfortable transforming him more often. As I enjoyed the process and I think he would look better in both modes with some practice. But I do feel the knees and hips are too weak for a lot of playability. But that seems to be the common consensus with the official MP44 too. Its why people were excited about a cheaper version they could afford to actually play with.
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2020
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  14. Jaguaratron

    Jaguaratron Well-Known Member

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    Poor old MP-01, so amazing at the time, looks so archaic now...

    I mean its still got awesome features that the current ones dont, like the "suspension" in the feet and wheels, faux pistons and communicators but its amazing the technological and design progression we have reached now.
     
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  15. MrOrange645

    MrOrange645 Well-Known Member

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    I agree. I was absolutely blown away the first time I saw it. I always thought the alt mode was trash, LOL, but the bot mode was amazing!

    It was my first MP figure, and my wife got it for me for Christmas. She passed away about 5 or 6 years later, so it's my most special bot. I'll never get rid of him.
     
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  16. 6Trash9

    6Trash9 Fist of the North Star

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    who is peeling onions
     
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  17. NewDawn

    NewDawn Banned

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    Have you ever thought of getting Primorion.
     
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  18. MrOrange645

    MrOrange645 Well-Known Member

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    I've actually looked at him. I'm trying to slow down in my buying figures for a bit, LOL. I've bought a BUNCH the last couple months. And have more on the way.
     
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  19. skywarp-2

    skywarp-2 Master of Teleportation

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    Primorion?
    Primorion.. LOL..
    Primorion.. Ah yes!! The Early days of Masterpiece Transformers collecting. When the options on 3rd party were slim..
    [​IMG]
    Heheheh...
    Primorion (bobgoblin)... LOL
    Primorion.
     
  20. Dangard Ace

    Dangard Ace Well-Known Member

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    I like my Primorion. Boxy and if you paint the eyes yellow like I did I think it's the perfect evolution of the G1 toy.