Optimus just shipped. I have a project to work on! Gonna try to get shockwave eventually. Maybe when I get paid

 

Oh lawd

 

Is everything supposed to move smoothly when engaging the ab crunch?

 

In my experience it's not what I'd call smooth, but nothing should snag/stick. There's a lot of little edges that brush past one another in order to convincingly layer the armour for the effect, but it should move without getting stuck or parts coming off.

 

It's not really a snag but something suddenly pops during movement. In the same spot every time. I think I built the central structure wrong cause it started before I put on the detail pieces.

Nothing resists movement, there's just a pop in one spot

 

That might be a sign that something's not pushed in all the way. Mine "popped' the first couple of times too and it turned out I hadn't pegged a small red part into the right side fully. This model really relies on a lot of hair-width-precise tolerances.

 

Sigh I'll start disassembly when I get home

 

I wouldn't. I would try working it again and seeing if you ca identify what's "popping," and if it's not visible outside... I'd just leave it, to be honest. You might mess up the tolerances taking it apart than if you actually work the joint.

 

I, i'm newbie. To built this Optimus glue is needed? In your opinion, after you finish building it, is it better to use Topcoat flat orTopcoat gloss?

 

Glue isn't necessary, but I used a bit here and there for some parts because they didn't want to stay together (in the shoulders, iirc).

 

Same. Just assembled him and then glued on any parts that fell off.

 

It depends on the kind of look you're trying to go for. A gloss top coat would be more movie-accurate while a matte top coat would be good for a more weathered look (imagine a dusty truck). If you're worried about the ease of applying the coat, then a matte coat is generally easier to get right than a gloss coat. It's just easier to see imperfections with a gloss coat. A good gloss coat does look amazing though. Also, you can consider a semi-gloss coat for an in-between.

 

Can you post some photos of yours after applied coat please?

 

Has anyone encountered a problem where the "ears" splay outward? In the promo pictures, they seem to be parallel and perfectly vertical, but in a few fan builds, they seem to splay out. Is there a way to prevent this?

Promo Image:


Fan Build:

 

I did find the ears a little tight going on. You can push them together to be straight, but as many people and myself have commented, some of the connections of this kit are tighter than you want a model to be.

 

Late to the party, but got mine finally! I’m gonna work on him once I’m finished with my current model project. Anything I should watch out for?

 

The pistons in his ankles were really tight for me and I ended up snapping one off. I used silicone oil on the rest of them and they worked with no problem. Also had one of the red spine pieces that I couldn't get to go in properly and I kept trying until it broke so maybe be careful with that.

 

Funnily enough, I actually took this guy partially apart yesterday to paint the red metallic. (since I already painted all the greys and the blue is metallic to start) I actually truly love this kit. It looks amazing, the posability is great, and after owning it an handling it for a while I've really come to be in awe of the build and engineering. Hands down the most complex and intricate kit I've ever built, even compared to the PGU Gundam.

Disassembly was not impossible but I don't recommend it. I broke a few small parts trying to interpret the instructions backwards after all this time, and the thin edge of the left weather vain snapped.   I also took the opportunity to glue a few problem pieces, namely the small red pieces that go inside the red armour parts on the sides of the chest. Anyone who's built this knows the pieces I'm taking about, the ones that like to fall off and rattle around inside.   Generally it was much smoother than I expected but there's a lot of teeny tiny pegs that either stress or snap if removed. This is not a kit designed to be taken apart after building.

Also I misplaced my decal sheet for this and I have no Earthly idea where I put it, so I had to use some pretty cheap-looking shiny reprolabels for the shoulder insignias until I can find it. Honestly though this guy all painted up is gorgeous.

 

mate you can’t say all that and then not post a pic