They’ve really outdid themselves with this guy. I don’t know if anything can impress me as much as mp-52.

 

Eh, probably too far...   ...but this is the most fun I've had with a MP figure in a very long time.

 

Yeah, that’s what I ended up doing, looks like it’s supposed to bend out that way. As for the ab crunch, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone who as been able to engage that joint. It definitely says you can in the instructions though (there’s a step towards the end showing the double joint bent out). I might try some silicon lubricant on it.

 

That's a thing of beauty right there. The beginning and the end of the journey. The original G1 Starscream was one of the best Christmas presents that I remember getting as a kid and Mp-52 is just a dream come true.

 

Yeah, I wish it could compress a bit more to make the side profile a bit more streamlined.

 

I'd imagine mixing up a little Gorilla Epoxy (part A and B) is the way to go here.

This stuff:
Gorilla Epoxy | Gorilla Glue

Mix it up good, and just use a toothpick or popsicle stick to let it ooze into that crack, when it cures it'll be stronger than the plastic itself. lol

Of course, if you DO attempt this, there are many precaution steps you need to follow that I didn't write up here; but from a "fix" standpoint, that would work perfectly.

 

looks like mine isn’t gonna show up until 9 or 10 pm tonight…… 

 

loving your display setup man! i’m sure you get asked this a lot, and not to detail this thread, but do you have another thread describing your setup? thanks!

 

This was a lot harder with MP-11! (Forgive my detached intake; I accidentally dropped him just before this   )

 

Agreed. I don’t mind the faux canopy at all But just wish it covered it more completely and tightly

 

Got mine delivered today.

AJP box not crushed like some others here. Starcream's actual box is ok, with a very minor crease on top-right corner-edge.

Out of the box pictars, then.

No cracks, yet...




Chest has about 1mm ground clearance ...



currently parked with others I have out already..



It's very nice, so far.

Hope it does not develop cracks when and while I tf it later...

 

Behold, the mini-Combaticons!


With Earthrise and NewAge. Takara really nailed the "walked out of the cartoon" aspect of MP-52 so much.


With MP Megatron (sorry, this one is the KO, since he was nearby. MP-36 is on a shelf)



MP-52 kicks ass!

 

I got mine out. Reminded me a bit of discovering MP-44s full ab crunch. Took a bit of force, just below the level where I was positive something would break. Nothing did, and I don’t even have signs of paint locking, though I’m sure that was the issue. That said, I’m not sure it really adds much; his wings and backpack get in the way of doing a good bent at the waist superman joint, so you’re just left with some gaps at his midriff.


A separate thought, but this toy, as much as I’m enjoying it, really makes me with Takara would use swappable parts for screen accuracy. Instead of having the real cockpit hidden behind a screen accurate piece, let him transform perfectly, and if you want it more screen accurate, you can either swap the cockpit, or clip the part over. I suspect they could’ve made his jet mode just that much better had they not had to hide the cockpit in there. Other than that, yeah… he just looks so damned good. I absolutely adore his big chunky feet, adn the taper of his legs!

 

Hey guys I got it!!!!

here’s what I recommend doing:

transform him like this and then pull from these positions:



it will take a lot of force but nothing really terrible happens.

I did get 4 stress marks though, one on each tab and one in the corner of each armature. The good news is, the plastic is thick enough where I CAN’T see this causing any issues over time:



Just to be safe though, I hit the spot with directed hot air flow from a blow dryer:



I’m never good with this technique so I stopped before the stress marks completely disappeared, but I think it still helped.

Now you can get a really deep bend and pulling the tabs back out is super easy, it can be done without any special half-transformations. The connection just “thoops” into place now instead of snapping, but it’s still secure.



I did add some shock oil to the riveted hinge—which may have helped me pull it out easier—but I don’t think it really made a difference in the end.

Oh, and the reason I even attempted this at all was because I noticed that engaging the ab crunch without the double joint was chipping away at the paint on both canopies. The only other way to avoid this is to apply pressure at the base of the false canopy, but since that piece is all clear plastic that could easily crack with pressure, I didn’t want to rely on that method.

 

I get the complaints about the side view, still love this alt mode

 

No stress marks on my end for the other ab crunch. Just bent the figure back and it unlocked.

 

Are the air intakes supposed to be floppy as hell straight out the box? I barely touch them and they flop down …

 

Mine are pretty tight. I think if they are loose, if you want to try and fix it, knocking the pin out is pretty easy. Or you can exchange it.

 

Just got the payment email.  

 

ooOOooOO I hope I get mine soooOOOOOn!!!!!!!!