Well...My offical MP-44 came WITHOUT half of the ratchet assembly in one of his hips.  

 

I don't know what others see, Buu I don't see TE as more show accurate at all. 44 (and the KO) is still the most accurate. TE seems like a decent toy but I can't get past the hard angles on the windows because they don't evoke anything.

I've typed out a reply 3 times that keeps going away because of chrome. So let me just say.

MP10- could have been an ultimate "2Y" version.
MS01/01x- instead of going for the mix, they should have perfected the toy look that MP10 barely missed.
TE01- I just can't get past the wrong chest....like it's wrong to everything.
MP44 and KO- if you want a cartoon prime, it's not getting better.
Attached my custom MS01x and MP10. On both I'm trying to make them more 2Y and less 2N. Still looking for a way to get MP10s forearms right.

 

And just like that KO MP-44 ver 4.0 rockets to the top of my list. Build quality and mods. remains to be seen, but this may be a bit awkward for my TE-01 when he arrives.. 

 

Still thinking on whether to get the v 4.0 KO.

For me personally, I can't seem to get over some design choices (the lower ab part that sticks out like a sore thumb from any angle other than "from slightly below", the paneling, the heels..).
I also think that if they added a modified backpack that some accessories don't fit - *remove* those accessories and charge 60$-70$ instead of ~90$.

I know a lot of members here like the v 4.0 and I won't bash another man's preference / choice, just adding my personal perspective.

 

I originally voted for MP-10 but have changed my vote to MP-44. The TE and MS versions just don't do it for me... I love posing. I have the small backpack KO MP-44 on the way to make into a Final Battle damaged Optimus Prime.

Some glam shots.



"One shall stand... One shall fall."

 

OMG can you imagine how awesome it would've been if he came with a spinning basketball? Lol

 

Actually, tho the basketball is cool, I would like to see someone come up with accessories for the KO-MP44 4.0 Small Backpack white leg ver. with a set of stuff like the Super 7 Optimus Prime comes with...


Particularly the Surf board Prime is on. If they made a set for all the MP Autobots in that scene, or just MP-44 or TE01 compatible for Optimus Prime, I would be happy to buy that set.

 

Thanks for the reference pic. I'll still watch the episode to refresh my memory.

 

great episode

 

Have you handled the smaller back KO's? They actually kind of suck and are already getting mold fatigue in the parts and QC seems to be slacking more. I got Silver legs full size back and it is great. I got the Smaller back Nemesis and he is just a shelf princess. He feels quite sloppy with parts not wanting to tab in correctly when handling and smaller backpack sucks in truck mode. It just kind of floats and doesnt tab in. If you push it it just kind of falls inside. Maybe this one will be better. who knows.

 

Well, from a few members on here who own it, and the recent English video review by @TMReviews the feedback has been between the two very positive. Everything tabs in okay, and the bot looks and feels good. no issues from what I can discern. I am hopeful that by getting the first batch, If the QC is already good so far, chances are there will be only a few that will have issues. The general theory I work off of, if they don't have a lot of QC issues up front, then generally the batch will be fine for the most part. No official or third party ever has a 100% production run. The law of averages says so far, things are looking good for this run. There are some of my friends, some on here, some not who have sold their silver leg version, in favor of this new flat back version. I'm confident this is probably a rare occurrence, but This may be a good deal, but since most already have the KO, or it's many iterations, they won't get him.

But for someone like me.. This will be my 1st MP44 KO, and I think that may be a good thing waiting for all the fixes and someone to come along and actually produce what it's taken from the original, thru the mods, and the variants to finally get right. If no other production run of this figure or batch measures up, It won't bother me. Mainly because I plan to still get the nemesis TE-01 over the black repaint of MP44.. That said if they make the flat back MP44 in Black and with the same build quality, I am seeing so far, then yea I would pick him up too.
Here's the video from TMReviews, and a few others not in English that show him pretty sturdy.


Dennis S Torres review:

This is a good comparison between the MP44 official, the MP44 KO, and the MP44 KO without backpack..
El garaje de Javitron

@TMReviews English quick review

Honestly, if mine comes in with no issues, this will be the definitive version of the MP44 mold for me. It will have all the fixes, and will also have a backpack mod that I have been wanting since they first debuted the official. This could be the defining MP44 KO, and it only took 4 molds to get here!! LOL
That says something...

So, the MP44 official. pros and cons. paint, trailer, accessories, official street cred.. loads of issues, bad knees, chipping paint etc..
MP44 KO 2.0. Pros and cons. supposedly fixed knees, and other small mods. No paint. no trailer. better price. no real box. alignment issues. Etc..
MP44 KO 3.0 more knee mods, loads of colors. issues with plastic, tolerances, stress. great color choices. silver legs
MP44 KO 4.0 All the mods. original color. little paint. flat back. Sturdy. no real box.

Still I can't say I won't get a bad copy. Who knows. That is why I bought from @ShowZStore I love their customer service. They really do care about their customers.
After this arrives, if he is in good shape, I think I am going to sell my MP24 and get the XTB Magnus!

 

When it came to any sort of accuracy, I can only think of 2 things;

1. MMP-44 is the best version of "The Movie" Prime I always wanted, minus the scary knee controversy. The head and the accessories are what I can consider for part of my "true Movie Prime" pack.

2. MS-01 is the best "idolized" version of Optimus Prime. He's big, bright, heroic looking without being slavish to the cartoon, and he's got a heft that makes him feel good...
...that is if I can FIND him. he's been on my watch for too long and the moment I think I would have him he's pretty much gone from most major online retailers.

As I re-read IDW's finale Unicron, I've come to see Optimus there as my true look for Optimus, which looks like the MS-01X with a splash of the new standard G1 Optimus.
...which is probably why I'm hoping to find MS-01 Light of Freedom soon.

 

I think I realized something regarding TE-01, its cartoon accuracy and how it fits into a collection.

This in part comes from the fact that my TF collection is a bit eclectic – I don’t care about scale or collect whole lines. I collect specific figures which I find interesting (visually or engineering-wise), and my collection has MP figures alongside KO MP, 3P, CHUG, G1, Animated, TFP, BW, etc.

I don’t mind cartoon accuracy in general (often preferring updated, stylized designs), but nostalgically for me, Optimus Prime is different, as its my absolute favorite TF character. I’m still an avid MP-10 fan, and enjoy its variants (including MPP-10 & MP-10V) as well as its ‘evolution’ (MS-01) - and if I had to get *one* cartoon-accurate figure, it would be Optimus.

That’s where TE-01 (or rather TE-01C, the cel-shaded version) comes into play. For me, as I wrote on this thread and others, this is *THE* cartoon-accurate Optimus, not only in the details, but mainly in the design aesthetic. Regardless of how I feel towards the animation quality (hint: it leaves a lot to be desired), the G1 cartoon had a basic, almost ‘retro’ design for OP, mostly ‘boxy’ and hard-edged with minimal details – looking back, I would compare it to Batman TAS or earlier Mecha anime.

And TE-01 totally captures it. but the thing is, not many other figures do.

When Takara puts out ‘cartoon-accurate’ figures, for the most part they don’t really follow only the G1 cartoon design. They add details, mess a little with the alt-mode, and include compromises in order to achieve the transformation between modes – and that’s not only fine, IMO it’s how it should be done.

Same with MP-44 – I have many issues with the QC, but from a visual perspective (not including the backpack kibble, ankles, visible ab ‘hinge’ or overall look from the back/sides), it’s a great looking OP.. added details and visible ‘paneling’ included. Same as MP-36 – that’s why I think they look very good together.

And TE-01? The perfect cartoon-accurate OP IMO, but as a *standalone* piece. It’s less compatible with most other figures, because it’s too accurate in that regard.

I hope this made sense  

 

Um I love MS 01 but I hope you're referring to figurative heft not literal heft. He's my favorite MP to play with and handle, but he makes me feel like I'm on the Moon and he might float away if I toss him in the air. Again I'm not knocking him just never heard the figure associated with "heft" before.

 

Correction, he looks like he has figurative heft. Nice that he seems very light with the boxy and chunky look.

 

I actually prefer his weight to a bunch of die-cast. He's a really fun toy to play with.

 

I got the KO MP-44 V4 a couple of days ago and it's not bad. The floppy hip ratchets that are on my official version aren't on the KO. The knees seem to work fine so far, but my official's knees are also fine. The small backpack is nice but it's too small. The only issue is that one of the toe joints was misfired so it's stuck pointing up. For 25% of the official's price I have no problem recommending this KO.









Some differences between them:

- The KO is about ⅛inch taller than the original MP. This is because the ab crunch mechanism sits higher than the original when clicked in. If the visible ab hinge bothers you on the official, it'll bother you even more on the KO.

- The only paint on the KO is the orange running lights, the silver that replaced the chrome pieces, a bit of blue on his crotch, and gray toes and rib stripes.

- The Starscream intakes and Sideswipe rocket pack don't fit the V4.

 

Thanks for sharing my content. I'm not on here often (not getting notifications for some reason) so I appreciate anyone who shares my stuff. This KO is definitely the best one so far in my opinion. Thanks, till all are one.

 

Got v4 from @ShowZStore today (great service as always!).

The figure itself is of mostly good quality, the plastic is good, but some joints are so stiff, to the point I'm afraid it'll break.

As for the looks - while supposedly cartoon-accurate, that's not really the case. It's a very 'panelly' design - and of course there's still kibble on the back and on the top of the chest assembly.

IMO, while much more 'boxy' and 'sharp-edged', I think TE-01 nails the cartoon look and vibe a lot better, but it comes down to personal preference, of course.

 

The way the knee looks when it bends is also inferior to TE-01, but that's the fault of the MP-44 mold.