Got my Acid Storm today and I have no complaints about the packing/shipping job. Acid Storm's box is in near perfect shape with no damage that wouldn't constitute normal shelf wear. Even the outer shipping box looks good. Guess I got lucky!

 

So mad, I got my Soundwave today only to find out that Ravage's head was installed upside-down so he can't even transform entirely

 

His Jaguar mode is craptastic anyway. You're better off keeping it in tape mode.

 

received my acid storm today in great condition..no dent smash whatsoever  

 

My Acid Storm shipping box was a bit bashed in on one side, but the Acid Storm box itself was in great shape.

 

What? That's...amazing and sad.

 

Dafuq, man? He's one of the best cassettes in the entire set.

 

Eh, the condors and Frumble are the right out of the cartoon, IMO. Ravage is the weakest of the 5 for me. I'd take him or leave him.

 

i like the condors but frumble has no right being called masterpieces....they are average tfs at best...none of the tapes are more than just accessories to soundwave and the takara version should have come with all 5 as well ...they are not masterpieces and should not have been called mp 15 and 16

 

quick heads up, the hasbro version of laserbeak's tail fins on the thruster are far far tighter than the Takara, sadly i broke mine completely off and trust me i knew it was too tight and that i needed to apply the force in the appropriate areas but it didnt matter, the pin connection for the tail fin was far too tight to handle the tightness of the wing and snapper, bummer

 

I got mine today and those fins are the same. They are even tighter than Takara's Buzzsaw. No breakage yet thankfully but I have only transformed him twice. It seems to help if you do the fins part of the way before you flip the thrusters around and once they are sitting flat on his back, then move them that last little bit where it is really tight.

 

i let the other dude have it,
Sides i have the takara on preorder. So no biggie.
The Tru lady helping us, said she would gladly preorder 1 for me or hold 1 when the nxt shipment came in.
She decided to make sure if there were anymore in the system 1st.
And sure enough there was 1 more box, but it was way in the back of the trailer.
She took my name and number, and would call me later in the day once all the merch was out.
so around lunch the store manager called n said "Rob, i have ur Masterpiece transformer sittin on my desk, its ready when u are"
=)
That morning before i left the store, i thanked the tru employee for her help.
And offered her lunch, and she smiled.

So now im sittin pretty with a MP SW on my desk, damn i had a good day.

 

got my soundwave today! And holy crap guys, soundwave's awesomeness aside, this box (smashed or not) is just bad-ass. I want every high-end transformer in a box like this. It is like a new-and-improved takara masterpiece box with all of the raised symbols and the sleeve. I just love this box I will keep it forever.
P.S., What does the 2 Japanese symbols mean that are on the box? Anyone know?

 

Well, if anyone is looking to get rid of their ravage, then I'm for taking it. He is one of the cassettes I was looking most forward to along with lazerbeak. IMO they are the best. Hope one day they will do ratbat

 

I see many reports of Ravage being upside down, flipped pieces or missing paw and such. Are these problems noticeable in cassette mode? I asked my friend to inspect mine SW I had shipped to him. We would like to avoid transforming them.

Also many says the box is great, but is it that good? My friend asked in PO about its measurements and apparently it would cost 75 bucks to ship it via the lowest option and twice as much via priority. So I guess its not worth that much to me at least to get this box.

 

Got my SW today in one piece, however these instructions are flat out horrible with leaving out important storage for other parts and pieces that I know were included in the Takura scans that I saw. Is there some trick with the tape deck launcher thing? I just got a tape jammed inside and I'm afraid to try anything too aggressive for fear of breaking something.

 

Got mine today from a local board member. Soundwave is awesome. I owned the Takara version for a little while, but wasn't super happy with it. The Hasbro version is much better to me. It seems he might have a little more heft, or the plastic is different, or I just like the yellow visor that much more or something, but I finally feel the love for this mold that everyone else has been gushing for the past few months.

 

All of the problems you mention with Ravage are visible in tape mode. No worries there.

As for shipping, where on Earth is this going to? I can't imagine a domestic US location (Might as well include Hawaii, Alaska, Guam or Puerto Rico, too) for $75.00!  

If you are located in the US and USPS is quoting that price, it might be cheaper to go UPS.

 

Rock on man, that is awesome.

It is absolutely cheaper to go UPS on bigger boxes. I shipped a 20x7x14, 4.5 pound box from NJ to CA last week. Quoted prices:
USPS Priority: $40 ($35 if purchased online)
UPS Ground: $19

I didn't check into parcel post for USPS because that's just tempting fate.