Thanks, I may have to try the nail polish since it seems like swapping out the little tabs may require messing with the chest and I don't want to risk ruining the somewhat minimal chest gap by having springs or whatever flying everywhere. The left elbow is slightly loose, so I'm considering swapping that joint.

I was also thinking of hitting his windshield with some future finish to fill in the existing scratches and protect it through future transformations.

I agree completely about the ratchet joints, even now that I've got one where half of them didn't crumble to pieces. I think Rodimus's work out much better than huge ratchet gaps that keep MP Prime's hips from being very useful, but MP Prime is really too heavy for ball joints. I imagine part of the idea behind the ratchets is a throwback to some of the vintage stuff, but there's a reason you see so many one armed Jetfires. The ratchets also make it a little tough to get him into a perfect car since you've got several of them in there and you've got to figure out which one(s) are just a click off.

The only other issues that come to mind are how the orange paint on the die-cast joint seems to scratch off instantly and the royal pain I had trying to jam his hands into the car in a way that allowed it all to come together.

Nitpicking aside, I think he's a pretty fantastic Masterpiece that I'm glad is specifically done to resemble the TF I played with most as a kid. I'm extremely happy he's got a Targetmaster since I felt burned as a kid and during the G1 reissues when the Targetmaster was released after I had already bought one. I don't have the Takara version and I'm happy to see that this figure can stand alone and doesn't seem to have any major compromises for the sake of the Rodimus Prime vehicle mode. Now that I've gotten a good one, I'm back on board for future MPs.

 

ive had a hell of an annoying go with this guy...BUT i think i finally got a good one. it took me 5 returns (they must have loved me) but it looks as though this one is good =D

the left hand wants to fall out and off all the time but considering it just pops back on (unlike the feet of the 2 i had before) its not a horrible issue for me. ill just future it to tighten it.

im really disappointed that it too me 5 of these guys to finally get one that seems like its going to hold together, but i guess its good i finally got one. i'll be going into the next MP very cautiously

 

Has anyone figured out yet how to make the chest sit more flush together? The large gap on mine is super annoying.

 

My MP Rodimus Prime Tutorial/Q&A

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has posted in this thread. I've been watching it since it started, and keeping notes until I could get my Rodimus. Thanks to another board member, I got one yesterday.

But I want to help anyone else going into this thread and buying one, and to address any of the issues that some of you have had. Sorry for the craptacular large Iphone photos, but this was quickly edited.



First off, when you buy this figure, don't take it out of the box. First, look at these sets of photos....
Squall42080 -

[/QUOTE]

Secondly, look at this posting. This will show you the right way, and the wrong way to have the feet and back end. Also helped me to avoid any breakage. Thank you Cheebs! http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...ly-rodimus-prime-offshoot-34.html#post6541166

Now, I'm going to show you some key parts.

This is called Pledge Floor Finish with Future. BUY IT. It's a floor wax. It's designed for floors. But it has an added benefit of being a Transformers best friend. With it, you can tighten joints, protect paint, and make your plastic toys better without the harshness of Crazy Glue which leaves residue and can destroy your stuff, or clear nail polish, which will wear off, or sometimes doesn't bond. It costs about 5 bucks at your Walmart, will last you about 20 years because you don't need a lot of it to apply, dries in about 2-5 minutes, is lightweight, easy to work with like water, smells lemony fresh, it can be washed off your paint brushes with water before drying, and is WORTH IT.

Now, here is a guide on where to apply said Future polish to your Rodimus. Do not apply to the hands until you've tested all the guns and Offshoot with them, because my right hand didn't need it at all, but the left did.



Apply it to the chrome to protect it. My chrome has not flaked, but the flash points where the mold was separated after pouring has no chrome on those pieces. Be sure to get both sides of the pipes with the future, you can apply as many times as you'd like.

Next, on the inside of the chest piece for the U tab, apply the future as shown.


Once I did this, I can now move the arms around and around without it separating. In fact, it made it so much better, when I went to transform it back, lifting it up made the cockpit open up because it was that much tighter. Awesome.

And if you have wobbly spoiler? Do this:


Now for the infamous backpack. You might be surprised that I did not apply it to any part of the backpack. Why? Because the whole thing is engineered to be a three part joint. Here's what I mean:


See those three parts of the joint? They're designed to be a fulcrum to place the gray tab onto the top red pieces of Rodimus' back. If you pull down on the bottom of the three part joint, it will not only tab better, but it will keep the whole thing together. Or you can future the red tabs to make it tighter. Mine I could shake like a crying baby and it won't come loose.

Next the feet. Take a look at the joints.


Because it's jointed this way, this means you can move the whole thing about 5 different ways. Five. If you can't get this figure stable, then you're not doing it right. Also, this doesn't mean you can just yank on the thing. I'm not saying that feet breaking off is normal, it isn't, that's definite QC, but you should be holding the ankle when you ratchet the foot. Remember, you only paid around 65 bucks for it, but it's still a Masterpiece figure, not a Gravity Bot.

Lastly, the hood. Yes, yes, the hood is not quite flush, it doesn't seem to be flat, etc, etc. Whiner. You can do one of two things. Either apply some Future:


Or you can use a better fix without having to remove screws. Hood Flush, courtesy of Nemesisconvoy - http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/447715-mp-roddys-hood.html#post6488609

Mine? I can get it flush just by pulling on the front and replacing it back until it's fine, and flush. But keep in mind, the front hood end is designed that way in order to be part of Rodimus' chest. If you make it tighter, then you lose the ability to have it clip best into the midsection.

FAQ:
Q: My Rodimus fell to pieces out of the box.
A: I've read enough of these posts. That sucks hard. I hope you can get another. More than likely by end of summer, we'll be up to our eyes in these figures at TRU.

Q: How does he look with the Takara trailer?
A: I think I've put enough links to that stuff. Go and read. That's why it's called research.

Q: Hasbro sucks cuz my TRU never has him!
A: Read this: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/tfwe/448021-tfwe-issue-04-august-2011-a-2.html#post6492493. I'll be the first to complain, but it's about as good as peeing into the wind. All you get is wet and nasty. TRU actually started getting these figures into the market the same week that SDCC ended. Compared with MP Grimlock, where it was almost SIX months before we saw him in some markets. They'll get more. And if not, ASK FOR HELP FROM THE JUNKION EXCHANGE!

Q: I can't believe the QC issues with this!
A: Dude, you paid hopefully ~65 bucks for this figure. Stop whining. At least they didn't give us another rendition of MP-01. Oh....wait......

Q: What about Offshoot?
A: Thankfully, my Offshoot has both feet, and is awesome. I wish that he sat a little differently in the alt mode. Then again, I wish the Alt mode had two more panels or holes (or maybe Mechtech ports) for the other guns. He actually comes with too many guns, which is not a problem. That's an excuse to go Decepticon hunting.

Honestly, I thought that I would take black paint to the boots, and redo them, but I've rethought that. I'm also keeping the stickers off mine. But ultimately, this is really an awesome MP figure. I do wish I had the Winnebago trailer piece, so if anyone wants to deep discount theirs to me.....  
Either way, thanks to all the prior reviews, and thanks for reading.

 

glad youre having fun with it d! did you get an amazon unicron yet? let us know how that turns out.

 

Mine didn't break and can roll on all four wheels. Good enough for me!

 

I grabbed him on Friday, was really impressed with him but mine can't hold his weapons worth shit.

 

This should be printed up and packed with every Rodimus out there. I appreciate all the time and effort put into all of this.

I've had Future Finish for a little while now and I'm still experimenting with it all of its uses. I was planning on trying some out on the windshield, but using it to protect the chrome is a great idea to try out too! Thanks!

 

lol

 

Excellent Writeup Dormamu. Gonna really come in handy when I have time to do some "touchups" to mine.  
-G

 

Nice writeup indeed, Dormamu. Has anybody figured out what to do with the floppy arms due to Hasbro's jacked up elbow "fix"?

 

From all I have read in this thread, it seems I lucked out and got a decent one QC wise. I really dig the figure, makes me realize why I love MPs. I'm pissed now that I didn't look harder for MP Grimlock when he was out...

 

I think most had good QC, but it's natural that the unlucky fellows who got figures with problems leave their warnings here, while not everyone who gets a perfect one feels the need to do so.

 

This is true!

I'm certainly part of the problem, since my first figure was the biggest disaster I've had of any Transformer, maybe even any product I've ever bought! I spit out plenty of venom over that.

But, I'll repeat that my 2nd Rodimus is really, really nice and he doesn't seem to even have many of the reported non-broken trouble areas. I'd still recommend being careful with him, especially the ankles and fully investigate all of the joints and keep the receipt inside the box and hold onto it for a little while, just in case.

The great thing about threads like this is that you can investigate the problems you may be having with yours and find some solutions. I really recommend Dormamu's excellent post to anyone who may have skimmed by it.

 

Well got my roddy today, and yeah, he's got a shot ankle.

Ugh, board member helped with me this guy and now I gotta find an exchange. Sigh.

 

I have a question for those of you with bad ankles. What do you think was the culprit? Weak plastic or overly tight joint?

 

This is a great thread, but I have some specific questions still:

1) Whats the strengths and weaknesses of this versus the Takara Masterpiece Rodimus

2) Do you guys think it is a better buy than waiting for the new release of Takara's Rodimus next month?

3) I much lost by not having the trailer-section and the second vehicle mode? I mean does it feel like "half a figure" compared to the original.

4) Overall, which one would you guys recommend I buy, irregardless of price?

 

Here's some pic spam. these are very high resolution, so I'm posting them in thumbnails:


Transformers: Masterpiece Rodimus Prime - TRU Exclusive Version by KumaStylePhotography, on Flickr


Transformers: Masterpiece Rodimus (TRU) and Fansproject Protector Side By Side by KumaStylePhotography, on Flickr


Transformers: Masterpiece Rodimus (TRU Ver.) - "80's Cool" by KumaStylePhotography, on Flickr

 

I'm not sure, but it may have been a combination of a weak batch of plastic and over-tightened joints. Mine crumbled apart in 3 places really easily, but I'm not sure if the plastic was bad or if tight joint causes stress fractures. My new Rodimus seems pretty tough and his joints are tight enough that I'm very careful with them.

If you are more of a fan of Hot Rod, paticularly his G1 toy, then this one wins in my book since the colors and Targetmaster are all Hot Rod.

If you're really into Rodimus Prime, or have a greater attachment to the cartoon than the toys, then Takara may be the way to go.

I miss the trailer far less than I thought I would, since I was expecting it to feel like half a figure. Since the Hasbro version is all about Hot Rod accuracy, the trailer doesn't feel like it's missing to me. From what I can tell the Rodimus Prime vehicle mode with the trailer is kind of a cheat, even though I still think it's really cool and wouldn't mind having it one day. There is a small elbow panel that the U.S. version is missing for some reason, but mine still works perfectly fine.

For me, living in the U.S. and buying this version at retail, the value is much better on this one and I really love the Offshoot figure. I love the colors on both releases, so for me it came down to the fact that with Takara, I'd be paying $150 more for a trailer that I'd have parked off the the side of the figure or paying far less for a figure that includes a mini figure that I really wanted.

If they were the same price, it would be a really tough choice since I've got a strong attachment to the G1 Hot Rod toy and I like the Targetmaster, but there is something really cool about a complete package that can become 2 versions of a character in both modes. If you don't care about the trailer, the Hasbro version still has the Rodimus face at least. I can't recommend either version over the other since it comes down to personal preference in character and your preference in toy vs. cartoon accuracy.

 

I just came back to office with my very first purchase of this month's pay and what a roller coaster ride it had been. At least with my hesitation and anxiety of likely getting a busted figure which I had been mulling over for a month.

I got the first issue of takara rodimus awhile back; it had a busted hand and luckily I managed to get it replaced. Now I'm just wondering, with this unopened figure in front of me whether it was all worth it...lol

At least for me I had the luxury of choosing in between six other figures on a shelf as the tru at my place had done most conveniently. Anyways I'll be back with a feeback of my own Hasbro MP Rodimus and I've never been so excited haha...