I hope more comparison pics are posted once people start receiving their orders. Would love to see what he looks next to 1986 Characters

 

Ironhide and Ratchet first. The existing MP Datsuns aren't that bad, unlike the Vannettes.

 

Better Rodimus still has my vote

 

MP-03?! That thing was a massive disappointment coming off of MP-01, one of the biggest pratfalls from greatness in the TF franchise. It was pretty easy to imagine something better. I.E. something that actually looked like Starscream.


(As I've said before, the figure would've been fine as a figure in a jet themed equivalent to Alternators, but it made no sense as a follow-up to MP-01)


(Also I didn't mean that there will never be a Starscream figure that looks better than DS-01, I meant that no mix and match combo of existing figures will look better than simply having every seeker and conehead with the DS-01 mold)

 

The original MP-3 prototype (which became MP-11) was groundbreaking, same as MP-1.

My point was you addressed in your last paragraph was what seems the Apex now and perfection gets left behind pretty quickly these days.

 

Undoubtedly, eventually something better will come along. I mean for all we know another Starscream MP could pop out of nowhere tomorrow that improves on this one, with 3P allowing for the free exchange and development of ideas across numerous different parties you never know what you're gonna get.

 

myahhh i was ok with it at the time cuz i had mp11. but now? i just pulled meteor out and ugh, everytime, half his torso flips over in a backbreaking spine shattering flippity flop. his head is tiny too.

looking forward to the ds in hand now

 

One of the many issues. I ditched the head for my spare mp-44 Starscream head. The hands suck and the awful gaps through the arms. The arm hinges are up too high so any movement or pose you do makes him look like he is forever shrugging his shoulders. The plastic of the arms and lower legs feels cheap and so does the sliding crotch piece that was flipping all over and wouldn't stay where it should til I made a spacer to stop it. Another bot with a stupid ass butt flap for no reason! Tons of room that could have remedied that but no, why!? Its got problems that a lot of us deal with and disregard or even modify, but for $149.99 on up we shouldn't be doing that with the extent of its issues. Taking all aspects into consideration, Meteor should be priced between $60 to $80. Maybe it's the things or way I look at a bot, but I think my opinion would be the same had I bought Meteor years ago at first release. It did have more of a toon look for a seeker back then, but with the lacking quality it's not justified for that price tag.

 

Woohoo, getting mine delivered in 15 mins. Will post some photos later today if I get the chance between work jobs.

 

All i can say is that times change. No offence, Alph.   I thought back in 2006 when MP-3 was released, that it looked great and it was something new and special, though i never bought MP-3 back in 2006 and i still don’t own that figure. I do own MP-11 and that figure was awesome when i got it in hand for the first time. Great memories with that figure.

Now the MP-11 just stands and stares at the MP-52 jealously.

 

Quick first impressions:

Looks so much better on the shelf with Megatron, Soundwave et al than MP-52 - but mainly due to the size increase.

The colours would be fine had I not owned MP-52... But the darker colours on that figure have grown on me such that I'd very happily buy a new DS-001 if it was released in the same colours. I think it's more about the darker red than the grey.

Won't transform him for a few days as I'm worried about the paint... Robot mode is nice enough to keep me content until then. Also on the shelf any gaps or splits either at the top of the canopy or the base of the canopy where the ab crunch occurs aren't really noticeable... Although only if I'm not using either the waist rotation or the ab crunch - neither of which were essential to me anyway.

Personal preference: I wish the cockpit was slightly darker. Tempted to paint the light grey inside the cockpit a gunmetal - that would darken the whole thing.

No awful QC issues that I can see, couple of very minor paint transfers which I'll hopefully be able to clean up but no worse than you'd get on an official MP.

Null rays are REALLY tight. Was worried I'd break something as they squeaked into the arm sockets.

Weight is nice and the figure is solid - but then MP-52 surprised me by being heavier than I'd expected so probably a draw there.

Box is the latter design with the mistransformed jet on the front.  

MP-52's days are sadly numbered...

Quick pic. Reissued Karate LP arrived as well today, and it's not even my birthday!

 

The eagle has landed. Level of work to be completed today: uncertain.

 

Just got mine in from Omegalock..

Mixed reactions so far

Negatives
The null rays only want to go into the arm if smash it with a hammer. It feels like it's going to snap the peg. Stop painting things all over....
The size is personal choice, it's nice to have a choice. I prefer MP52's size simply from a stand point of seekers are already really wide and hard to display, the slightly narrower build really helps with those display options
The matte finish will pick up marks a lot easier than a gloss finish. There's some minor ones on the red of the chest on mine ( very minor )
The torso proportions are not as nice as MP52, the wide hips with wide obliques make his torso seem wider than it should. All other proportions are spot on and look great
The grey choice is nice. MP52 as fine but the lighter colour makes him stand out just that bit more.
The ab crunch is very antiquated, similar to magic squares double folding hinges. Great that it's there but MP52 integrating it into the lower torso was a lot more elegant. But if thats what it costs to keep the waist swivel im all for it
Lack of blast effects. I'm a sucker for accessories that bring a pose to life. The lack of them seems dated now.

Pros
It's got a nice weight and feel, joints are good. The over all feel and finish of the figure is excellent.
The paint is applied well. It feels like MP hound, matte finish.
The box is really nice. It's a solid premium feeling box.
Has a waist swivel
Price. Very well priced and worth every penny.
Cleans up in bot mode really well.

 

Still can't believe these were actually shipped with a mistransformed image on the box.

 

Now hurry up and announce Thundercracker and Skywarp!

Or, even better, a Conehead!

 

Just finished transformation to jet and back to bot.

No paint scraping on the torso, you can angle the wings out to avoid that paint damage we have seen.

It reminds me of XTB transformations. There isn't a single intuitive piece on the entire torso. The rear wings is lots of subtle movements until you find the right angle to rotate things to get them past something else. It's all very clever but it's not a fun seamless transformation like I found MP52

Also, really wished they had used a better red. Compared to mp52 the colours look very muted

Overall, he's a side step from MP52 but a huge step up from Maketoys. Excellent figure, well worth the money

 

like a box of chocolates? Tee hee

 

Has there been a pic of him next to Maketoys endgame?

 

Ooooh, nice! Karate and Fugazi were my whole mood in the mid 90’s.

Oh and the Starscream is nice too!   *refreshes tracking app three more times*