I love this thing. I love how he shrinks from jet mode to robot mode. I love the transformation (after i figured out the order of operations and understood tolerances/angles) and I CANNOT WAIT for the other two seekers. They are going to look INCREDIBLE together <3

 

Haven't got the mp11 coronation gear but I do randomly have the old igear cape and the FT Grimlock crown.....



Who disrupts my coronation!!

Takara: here's a hint!!

 

Well damn, I just witnessed a F-15 somehow become an animated character right before my eyes!
My copy appears to be perfect - Decepticon symbols are straight and no cracks or stress marks. The transformation is brilliant, but was easier than I thought it was going to be. The entire process was fun and just one amazing thing after another.

 

This looks fine, but I have a higher tolerance for faux parts when the real parts in the right place anyway, like with MP Sunstreaker or SS86 Hotrod. Like, I get there has to be some magic to get to the right aesthetic shape, as long as the basic engineering makes sense. The biggest test of that tolerance for me (that ultimately passed) was the WFC Alicon. The closest failure of that test is MP Bumblebee 2.0 (though I still love that little guy).

 

Couldn’t put it into words any better as well.

 

I’ve never heard anyone describe an MP Starscream’s transformation like that so that’s a great sign for MP-52.

 

Awesome!!! Can't get more Eighties than G1 Starscream with a PacMan background.

 

I've seen a few ppl bemoan or describe the cartoon aesthetic in a negative way whenever Takara release a new figure nowadays and I just wanna say long may it continue. I mean look at these....



I'd add Megatron too but I've got him perfectly sitting but who would ever have thought we'd ever get figures this close to the cartoon with articulation that'd put high end collectables to shame? And they transform. The fact they manage to hide faux parts is something that's incredible too imo. Absolute masters of their game.

I clearly love a third party figure but Takara are the undisputed Kings imo. They get the aesthetic beautifully.

 

Any more pics of that custom MP Cliffjumper? That looks like a nice placeholder while maintaining the MP-45's aesthetics and shaping   

 

Heavy/Scratch: - Sunbow Masterpiece Cliffjumper

 

My one qc flaw


Not a shocker, but it's definitely front and centre and will bug me.

Oh @Jarrod and @BrutiKing... any insights on a red paint match?

It's close to MP44 at first glance, so Mr Hobby Red is my first instinct. Thoughts?

 

Fantastic!
Those photos really drive home the point of how we need a few more Decepticons from this new, hyper-articulated direction MPs have gone as of late. Hope to see a new Soundwave in the group soon.

 

The Cincinnati update is normal and it just means that they sent the customs info ahead to Cincinnati. For example I’ve already been billed and paid for my border fees even though the package is still in Japan. There are different scans when it actually arrives at the Cincinnati hub.

 

Thanks for this. Went back and forced those suckers in. Totally fixed the issue I was having with the air intakes staying in place on those little tabs.

 

He looks awesome and I REALLY want to pull the trigger and buy him today, but I keep seeing more and more complaints and pictures (on FB, Twitter, reddit and even here) of stress marks, cracks at various hinges, tolerance issues, thin plastics etc.. so I'm pretty conflicted ATM... I wonder if I should hold off until more report coming in?

 

The best time to get it was last year from AJP, but the 2nd best time is now!

 

Nice work! Thanks! That looks way better.

Looking forward to getting mine this week.

 

Hmm, going back to jet mode, I noticed a misassembly error to keep an eye out for. Looks like wing hinges are not mirrors of each other, but have a slight contour to follow the wing. They are near identical, however, and I didn't notice any "L" or "R" markings are either to indicate to workers which is which. But I definitely have 2 left wing hinges.

If you notice on the left wing, the hinge meets up on both sides:


But on the right wing, its more raised on the outer edge, and sinks down on the inner edge:


At first I thought it was just tolerance variances, since they're both held on by friction nubs. But I also noticed the gap between the hinge and the wing forms a straight line on the correct one, but a slight angle on the incorrect one.

And just to make sure, taking it apart, there is a definite difference in height of the leading edge of the hinge.


It's definitely not a big deal, and truly, barely noticeable. Kinda one of those, once you see it you can't unsee it deals. It doesn't seem to have any effect on fit or function, just a minor visual distraction.

I'm more curious if they're all like this, or how common it is.

 

Thanks yeah I love that Pac-Man background...a buddy of mine gave it to me and it's become more and more my go-to.