Thank you very much for the tips. I've always been a fan. Life just happened, then one day, while buying a toy for my daughter, I saw the 86' Slag and that instant reminded me of the cartoons I loved. From there on my collecting started in all sorts of direction. I have to say this new hobby is expensive, but definitely worth it. In the past it would be impossible for me to buy these figures (not toys), but now that I'm a professional, why not?

I know I'm kind of late in the collecting game, but better late than never. Your advise gives me confidence to shop internationally. My last question would be is the information we provide. While I've read the policies, I'm just paranoid providing info internationally (first time), but I always use paypal for security, which I hope should be enough.

I heard of tdojo, and will keep that in mind of free tax. You should also check the chosen prime as an alternative, no tax as well as I believe they're likewise in Texas. I got my recent Monocrat from them with ease and on time, which brings me to buying this bot, so Monocrat will have the perfect pair  

 

Poorly? I liked it cuz that shows a lot of commitment what @frankph did...melted and formed plastic...and then I can't quite tell if it's just silver or "metallic" grey on the thighs...but they look chromed out! I think a very nice job.
@Jetfire82 welcome to the boards bud, also feel free to check all my vids and feel confident in buying at Showzstore  

 

I was planning on purchasing it on bombusbee as it has the lowest price that I've seen anywhere. Can anyone confirm if it's reliable or safe to buy there? Why is it so much cheaper than all the other sites?

 

Cool man, enjoy yourself! Feel free to ask questions around, most people on the boards are friendly and helpful.

I always use PayPal for international stuff and I feel safe. At worst the seller has your mailing address, and with PayPal protection you're pretty safe in case of fraud etc.

Also, Show-Z has a dedicated thread here on the board and Frank checks in regularly (AbbyTheCat).

Bombusbeee is legit, a lot of us starting using them recently. Prices are lower because you have to pay for shipping, but if you combine items (try like 5 or more) the shipping cost savings can be significant.

 

Awesome, thanks. Looks like I've covered everything there is to shop internationally   I found the Showz thread, can be useful for follow ups, or just advise from other shoppers. Thanks for also answering the Bombusbee question, as I was thinking of buying other items there as well.

 

Your MM01 is not battle damaged, is literally burned and destroyed.    

 

Better see some badass pictures from ya  

 

By any chance, did anyone else have scratches on the windshield right out of the box?

Unfortunately, I have scratches on both windshields, but I'm wondering how common that is.  

 

Yep!
A nice polishing cloth could shine it up. I’d be careful of any abrasive plastic cleaners or dust on a cloth.

 

My second bot-truck transformation took slightly less than one full hour as opposed to nearly two, without any instructions. Still no chipping or stress marks, so it seems that this guy can handle well.

 

You can fix it with a glossy spray. For example, I used Tamiya Glossy TS13 on M09 and T09 to fill and fix the scratches.

Be careful, sprays have solvents, use thin coats and wait between them 20min.

 

Sorry for the late pictures, but here they are. Took me a while to learn the transformation right and get the side skirts, gas cans and top red flap to plug in properly, but it's finally done!

Here's some truck mode pictures:


And some robot mode pictures. I don't know why tfw2005 auto rotates my images, so if anyone knows how to fix it do tell me about it so I can come back to edit the post to have them in a proper vertical orientation. Fixed it by opening them up in paint and rerotating them.

 

After my second truck-bot transformation (fourth transformation total) I noticed a minuscule chip in the paint on this section of the spine. This is the same location as the chip that was on @GRAW ’s copy and there are no chips elsewhere, suggesting this is the only weak area of paint on the figure. I fixed it using a layer of dark red acrylic followed by two coats of acrylic lacquer, and to avoid having to make this repair as I did, I would suggest coating this portion of the spine with floor polish or some form of lacquer before transforming or posing.

Note: the photograph is of the spine post-repair.

 

The more I see the cab, the more I'm in love with it.

 

It’s a remarkable piece of engineering

 

BTW, why is the bottom of his feet magnetic? It seems the base is just a big piece of plastic. I thought the base would contain metal for the magnetic feet to stick to. If the base is all plastic, then what's the point of the magnet feet?

 

There's no tab on the foot for truck mode, hence they use magnetic to keep both foot sort of "tabbing" together

 

Wow, that's actually pretty clever!

 

For the chipping also you can use enamel varnish, resin varnish, polyurethane varnish, etc.

 

Actually I think it's more likely for it to be the case that the diecast feet are magnetized cause of the strong arm panel magnets, but that's just a theory. The whole skeleton should be die cast, so it wouldn't surprise me if the magnetism's coming from the arm magnets.