Awesome! I appreciate the detailed response man! I was assuming that the mechanism worked as you described above but didn’t want to force that square section off to take a look.

And yeah, while I’d love if modern MPs were able to be disassembled more easily, I do think the pins make for a more streamlined look. I have been wanting to try out some pin-punching kits just in case I’d ever need to fully disassemble anything—but that stuff scares me a bit haha.

 

There’s a great thread about pin and rivet removal in the Radicons section. @Sam , @BrutiKing , @Jarrod and @TigerBlade are great at customizing and could offer better tips about pin removals and tools than I can. But basically, the pin has a smooth side and a scored side. The scored side grabs the plastic, so using a pin removing tool, you’ll want to punch out the scored side first and the rest of the pin would follow.

 

Do you happen to know what size screws are used on Megatron's head? Thanks in advance

 

Okay megatronix, I have an answer for you.


Screw post.


Total length of screw.


Screw head.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks sir! I appreciate the answer!

 

What’s in the Box: Studio Series 86 Autobot Jazz



Accessories:


Gun: Parts 1


Legs/Feet (2):
Parts 14, Pins 2, Rivets 4


Waist:
Parts 6, Rivets 2, Screws 1


Arms/Hands (2):
Parts 6, Pins 2, Rivets 2


Body:
Parts 21, Pins 2, Rivets 7, Screws 2
Head:
Parts 2


Totals:
Parts: 50
Pins: 6
Rivets: 15
Springs: 0
Screws: 3

Autobot Jazz:
Parts: 49
Pins: 6
Rivets: 15
Springs: 0
Screws: 3

Accessories:
Parts: 1
Pins: 0
Rivets: 0
Springs: 0
Screws: 0

This breakdown resulted from a conversation that happened in the V2 Thundercracker thread. The skinny of it was about some possible masterpiece-like technology being incorporated into some of the mainline releases. I decided to look at Studio Series '86 Autobot Jazz (SS Jazz) out of curiosity born from said conversation thread. For $20 USD, SS Jazz incorporated an interesting transformation design. Next to parts, there are a surprising amount of rivets found in the figure. The waist rotation mechanism and the shoulders were two moments that I really liked during the transformation. While the mainline figures are not for me, I can recognize the plastic quality, the sculpting detail in the body, and the design of the joints will appeal to many people.

My only two questions at this point are 1) Is this a Porsche and 2) Is there a Porsche license floating around TomyTakara/Hasbro and can that green light a Masterpiece Jazz?

And 14 instead of 4?

 

The 4 is connected to the likeliness of the martini logos and striping, which are also not present as they were on the original.

 

Do you feel like MP level engineering was used in some places? Loving these breakdowns  

 

I Immediately thought of that. I’m wondering if the hold up with the MP version is the Martini Rossi license and not Porsche itself. It’s an interesting detail to omit/work around.

 

The shoulder joints really surprised me. I expected a lot of hollow parts but the shoulders, waist and paint are great qualities of the figure. I don’t have much experience with any mainline figures but they’re a great price for what you’re getting.

Edit: The heavier use of rivets and pins resemble some of the design elements of the later MPs. I would say more akin to Tracks and the later releases where there’s not a lot of screws to hold parts in place.

 

Yeah. I mean they could just got the ratchet route and have a 2 digit number where you can cut off the 1st and still have the 4. I feel like that’d be an easy loophole.

 

Honestly can't believe I never thought of that, haha. Though considering the toon-accurate shift as of recent, it could still be on the Porsche side of things, though there is of course no definitive word.

Either way, even with getting Downbeat in and loving him, and having FT's Jazz on PO, I still badly wanna see Takara give Jazz a shot, ha.

 

In the end, it could be Porsche that has the final word. I not sure if the hold up to deal with the Martini Rossi livery is worse than the Exhaust/Malboro situation. The Studio Series Jazz certainly looks like a 935 at first glance but I am not a car expert.

FT will no doubt make a great Jazz. I would buy one for sure. TT will make one that will excel in articulation and interesting transformation techniques. Think all the masterpiece moments of Sunstreaker while updating the basic look of the Datsuns since their transformations were similar at certain points. Then that could lead to V2 Datsuns if TT really wanted to go that route.

 

Oh for sure, definitely wouldn't be as bad as the Marlboro fiasco. That was an assault on two different fronts, Phillip Morris and their law firm citing trademark infringement and the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, as well as the FDA with the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. While Jazz only has the roadblock of just needing to secure the rights from both Porsche and Martini, with any possible legal loopholes having to be crossed in regards to the latter since Martini/Bacardi (parent company) is obviously Martini as in the wine/vermouth people.

I got no doubts either that FT's Jazz will be great. I just hope they get their articulation game together, bummed that Drag Strip only had single jointed elbows and knees, though he's still a great figure. Takara for me always hits the best aesthetic style, aside from any kibble or other engineering related issues. And not to mention knows where to prioritize their accessory game. Haven't seen any 3P who can top the amount of extra faces Takara adds in.

Fans Toys would with Perceptor and Huffer IF THEY COULD JUST LET THE POOR GUYS SMILE. JEEZ.





Still hurting from those two, haha.

 

What’s in the Box: FT-31A Roadking



Accessories:
Angry Face: Parts 2
Gun: Parts 4
Sword: Parts 4, Screws 2


Right Leg/Foot(Pictured):
Parts 70, Pins 24, Rivets 8, Springs 3, Screws 33

Left Leg/Foot:
Parts 71, Pins 24, Rivets 8, Springs 3, Screws 33
*Extra part is the connector clip.


Waist:
Parts 18, Pins 2, Springs 2, Screws 8


Arms/Hands(2):
Parts 50, Pins 16, Springs 4, Screws 22


Body/Neck:
Parts 86, Pins 38, Rivets 6, Springs 1, Screws 25


Head:
Parts 6, Screws 2


Totals:
Parts: 311
Pins: 104
Rivets: 22
Springs: 13
Screws: 125

Roadking
Parts: 301
Pins: 104
Rivets: 22
Springs: 13
Screws: 123

Accessories
Parts: 10
Pins: 0
Rivets: 0
Springs: 0
Screws: 2

Final Thoughts:
I've always been curious about Roadking. There was something very impressive about the way that Fans Toys incorporated the cab and trailer into a solid robot mode. What's even more impressive is that the trailer stays attached during the transformation. It was joked in this thread by @LRJ2007 to do FT Maverick, but I've always had Roadking in the back of my head. So I decided to see how FT accomplished this feat.

One thing I immediately noticed about Roadking's construction is the very durable plastic. FT has always made an effort to use the best sourced materials when making their toys. This is probably why there is such a demand for their product. The second thing I noticed, after having PTSD from taking apart the main body of Terminus Giganticus, was the layering of parts to make Roadking. It was a tedious effort to take him apart and put him back together. Roadking's joint construction is very solid and has to be since he's the main body of the gestalt Menasor. FT hasn't shown us the completed Menasor yet so we're still in speculation mode. What we do know is that Rodking is a heavy bot. A lot is riding on FT to make sure the weight of Menasor won't ultimately collapse under its own weight.

Being my second FT product broken down, I can still say that Takara still has a masterful command of Masterpiece construction and engineering. FT is great and that should never be a question, but their engineering is still a step below Takara. There is obviously a difference in design philosophies and scope of business and budgets. A lot of thought has gone into every piece that makes up the total bot. Basically being a triple changer, Roadking has to serve three modes. I did find some interesting tabs and parts that seem to serve no current purpose in bot and alt mode. Being that there is a third mode means that FT took some real time planning this combiner.

Lastly, after doing so many of these breakdowns, I must commend the factory workers that have to be trained and are putting hundreds of these robots together for us to enjoy.

 

Have any of you successfully taken apart this piece?

 

It does seem like a complicated piece because of the pin positioning. Is there a tool that can automatically punch pins out?

 

Question sir,first page image don't show it ^^, do you have an idea of how to remove Mp-10 window chest ? the pin ...

 

I don’t remember what I did to MP-10 at the time. That was a KO, so I went pretty far during the breakdown. I’ll dig out my MP-10 and give you an answer.

 

One possible way I can think of removing the pin is by pushing it further up the shaft and pulling the window plastic out and to the side. Then you can pull the pin out. It looks like MP-10 wasn’t designed with a clear and easy way to remove that chest pin because they needed to keep a more complete look of the truck.