Yeah, I’ve been fiddling with BA in spider mode straight out of the box and I’m not that impressed with the spider mode either. Not being able to stand on the legs is a drawback, and the gaps and robot parts look a lot more obvious than they do in the pics. I’ve no love for the 3rd parties, but I’m curious if they can do something about either of these things if they do a KO version.

ah well, time to see what the bot mode is like!

 

probably not, dinobot was a mess  

 

And so to bot mode!

It’s certainly an improvement, although I’m not sure if the articulation to achieve things like being able to cross her legs is worth the birthing hips, which does spoil the curvy look she would have. I’d have preferred side to side articulation at the knees and ankles, but hey ho.

Which brings us to a final score of B for the bot mode and C- for the alt mode.

Will have to look at the accessories tomorrow.

EDIT:
Actually, I’ve just discovered that the legs can be pushed further up and in towards the hips, which does a fair bit to reduce the thunder thighs look.  

 

Boo her, boo I say, boo!

 

Yeah, the hips are capable of pulling out a bit in order to give more clearance for some of her cross-legged poses, especially being able to cross her ankles from standing.

 

I haven’t seen that head tilt used enough. So useful.

 

Update: I have been (cumulatively) unsuccessfully posing it in spider-mode on the web/stand for over 2 hours now...I give up. Good night all.

 

Yes... It can be very tricky.

I've heard a few different strategies. What works for me is attaching the weapon blade at the bottom first. You want to make sure it's really good in there. This means positioning the arms right. It took me a bit to get it really stuck on there, but that is the key for me.

Once I feel good about it being really on there, then I get the web ready, putting the clip on the web. Once that's done, i attach the spider to the clip. I''ve had her on there quite tight, but it took me a while to get it to that point.

Like getting her to tab together in beast mode, making her stand up, etc, once you figure out the right way to do it, you can typically do it consistently. But it can be frustrating to get yourself to that point. I'd she she has a real learning curve.

 

Careful not to leave her on the ground. Someone might smash her.

 

I think MPs used to be more robust because they had simpler designs with less hinges and less paint. So not as many people had issues. Takara is now fully committed to the more delicate, complex designs that a lot of other Japanese collector lines are doing these days.

What I do is read every post in a thread about a figure to find out all the potential issues before I transform it for the first time. I’ll also watch Wotafa transform it on YouTube and/or Emgo. Everyone should be watching Wotafa reviews to see how to handle these things. He’s very careful with every joint. Always making sure to turn a part by grabbing it near the hinge. Holding tabs in the right place before plugging them in to avoid breakage. Making sure to avoid contact between painted parts so you don’t get paint scuffs etc.

I’m seeing lots of complaints about stuff that has already been addressed several times earlier in the thread. And people breaking parts that shouldn’t break if you’re careful.

One example is getting this figure to stand on the spider legs in beast mode. Turn the black parts the legs are attached to around 180 degrees and rotate them out to the side of the bot mode arms if you need to. That will give the legs a lower stopping point and allow you to prop the spider up on the legs no matter how loose the ball joints are. Mine are so loose the legs fall out sometimes and I can still get it to stand using this method. This has come up in the thread many times so I’m not sure why people are still having issues with it. If you refuse to use this method, option B is to rest the back of the spider on the two black posts sticking down. Then prop the front of the spider up using the legs. Emgo shows this in his video.

Also pass the bot head through the hole during transformation at the widest part to avoid paint scuffing on the head.

Knowledge is power so do the research before handling expensive figures.

 

This may sound stupid, but knowledge sorta ruins the experience for me. I've had a tradition with my Beast Wars figures since I was 7, and that is to figure out how to transform it on my own, without instructions. I nearly always use the instructions for my second transformation to figure out some of th emore subtle details, and I'll watch reviews after to see if there are some things I missed in the the generally awful instructions.

But that first time? I want no knowledge of the transformation. I just want to work it out on my own.

Obviously I have limits. If there is a part that I think I need to move but it's stiff, I'll go check out the instructions at that point to make sure I'm doing the right thing. Also, I generally know how to handle them in order to not break it. To date, not a single one of my masterpieces have broken during that intitial transformation. The ONLY one that broke was Cheetor, with is arm panel, but that was wayyy later and due to a super duper tough joint.

I know this isn't for everyone, but that first transformation is something special to me, and working it out on my own is part of the experience, and part of the reason I spend that money in the first place.

 

Even going in blind, most of those tips are basic tenets that should be applied when dealing with any Transformer. Hold parts nearest as possible to the joint when manipulating it to avoid over-torquing it. Avoid rubbing painted parts against other parts. Pay attention to how parts are connected to discern their axis of motion.

I'm a puzzler. I prefer to work my figures out without use of the instructions. I've rarely gone astray by following the above.

 

Been meaning to post this for a while as I don't think I've seen anyone do this so far.

When using the stand in robot mode, I fold the backpack in on itself. It looks like it might have been designed to do this as everything fits together so neatly.

It keeps the back clean and gives you good access to the port.

Sorry if the pictures came out a bit dark.

 

Hm.. I thought this was known, but I guess I haven't seen it a lot. Mine is currently like that as well.

 

Right?! The mandibles and the head tilt add so much character!

 

To be pedantic here, they're "pedipalps", not mandibles. They're not mouth parts.

 

So just to prove it to myself, and also to give you hope, the first time I tried to get blackarachnia onto the web it probably took me a solid half hour of trying. Every time I tried to push her onto the web, SOMETHING came apart. Whether it was the weapon falling off the spider, or the weapon falling out of the grip, I could never get it to stick to both things. I got super frustrated.

I just tried right now, transformed her back into spider-mode and put her on the web. First try, in seconds. No issue. Your fingers just figure out how to push just right to get her to stick. And honestly, it's so worth it. You can get so much character out of spider-mode on that web. And once she's on, she's on. I have no fear or concern of her coming off that web right now. I can move her, position her, open the pedipalps (thanks @mx-o1 archon), shake the web. She's on there good.

 

I can't say I had that much trouble getting her onto the web in spider mode. What I did initially have troubles with is getting her anchor properly attached to her underbelly. Once that was done though, the connection was super solid, so snapping her onto the web afterwards was a cinch.

I'll have to give it another go, though. I've been a little distracted lately, and haven't really taken the time to transform her back and forth like I normally would to really understand the ins-and-outs of the figure.

 

Oops! Thanks! That was a quick response on my part, didn’t have time to think about what they were haha!

EDIT: I JUST watched Emgo’a video and he called them mandibles too haha! Oops!  

 

Not stupid at all! I totally get where you’re coming from and I still do that with less expensive transformers. I’ve just gotten to the point where the MP figures are too expensive to take the risk. I’m mostly worried about paint damage. I’m super OCD with paint and if the paint gets messed up on a figure I’ll sell it and buy another copy. And I don’t want to be doing that often.