Masterpiece HOUND MP-47

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by oku, Jul 28, 2018.

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  1. Memph99Q4Ev

    Memph99Q4Ev Well-Known Member

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    Daaaaamn, they brought G1 '84 back like, FOR REAL!!! Shits be breakin! I was around 6 when these arrived (minicon Windcharger to start). One thing you saw for sure in the bottom of 80s toy boxes everywhere:

    Bumblebee with no legs...
    Datsuns/Porche with no doors...
    Bots broken in half at the hips...
    Missing parts all together...

    In fact, I remember older kids going "hell naw, dont touch my TFs, dont even look at them! You'll probably break it". Dammit HasTak, we're not that nostalgic!

    Probably better go back to when they got it right; ball points (Beast/Machine Wars era). That way when it pops off, just click that shit back into place....
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2019
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  2. PositivelyKen

    PositivelyKen One Man Gestalt

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    Overall I'm pretty satisfied with my copy of Hound. There were no glaring paint issues, other than the edge of the upper inside thigh, beside the crotch, where it looks a little rough (no worse than what others have had, and not chipped). I didn't see any obvious damage out of the box or after transforming him (carefully!) into both modes. And he looks great in both modes too!

    Design-wise, I think it's ingenious that the alt mode accessories don't need to be removed for transformation, and can all fold up into the feet. Ironically though, I found it easier to remove them since so much of the foot transformation involves very thin, small, fiddly parts, and the accessories tended to pop off as I handled the figure anyway. Also, the designer who said "why don't we fold the tires in half to fit them inside the legs" has revolutionized this toyline forever. That, for me, was the Masterpiece Moment.

    Here's my biggest concern, though. MP-47 is made up of so many tiny parts, super-thin panels, and intricate joints, and it just doesn't feel robust enough to stand up to repeated transformations. The tolerances are really scary in places, too: the front fenders, the rear section of the Jeep mode, and the alt mode gun all seemed to need me to "push things past other things" (as Emgo might say) to complete the transformation, which is bad enough when it could damage the paint, but is doubly nerve-wracking when it involves thin parts that could crack or snap from the stress. And there were joints that needed some force to lock into place (such as the shoulders) where I wondered if it was actually meant to fold that way, or if I was about to break something.

    As always, I'm glad you guys are sharing your experiences -- good and bad -- with this figure, because it does help me to know what to expect. I think I got a good one this time, but I'm not planning to transform it a lot. :) 
     
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  3. divinecomedy

    divinecomedy Board Certified Fans Trollar

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    Yep, when you pay 120 dollars for a figure, and get one that's less durable than a Siege figure, anger is inevitable. And it's justified.

    I mean who are these people who think that 120 is nothing.
     
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  4. dmc2008

    dmc2008 Well-Known Member

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    Mine was from following the directions. Although they ask you to pull that piece away from the foot (twice, actually), you're only supposed to do so for a millimeter at a very slight angle. I must have pulled a bit too much and it just came off, like soft chocolate, no snap.

    IMG_20191228_145523~2.jpg IMG_20191228_145540~2.jpg IMG_20191227_235853~3.jpg
     
  5. bigcee66

    bigcee66 Well-Known Member

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    Highly doubtful. HLJ has shipped my MP Tracks, Ratchet, Ironhide, Shockwave, etc using the same method and have had zilch problems.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2019
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  6. chchchch

    chchchch Chunky Coherent

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  7. divinecomedy

    divinecomedy Board Certified Fans Trollar

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    Mine hasn't arrived yet, but I know the cracks are growing because they are shipped by AJP!!!
     
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  8. crazee928

    crazee928 Well-Known Member

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    i too bought 3 v3 primes and none of them had issues, granted i followed closely to the thread and knew how to handle the knees (thanks to those early adopters that had to go through the pain of destroying their knees before figuring out how they’re properly engaged). most people that have figures without issues won’t post on the forums, this is no different from car forums and other venues where discussions are made.

    i do believe that there are unfortunate owners out there that have legitimate issues with their figures right out of the box, and there’s nothing they could do to avoid. there are also those that are hamfisting their figures without fully understanding how parts should be moved, in which case i agree that it’s user error.

    imo, as i mentioned in one of my earlier posts, i really think it’s a combination of the thicker paint that’s tightening up the tolerances, in addition to the more complex engineering (which i love, but not if it compromises the integrity). the additional hinges, smaller joints, and thicker paint are enough to destroy any tolerence that otherwise would’ve been fine during the design phase.

    i really miss the paint jobs from the hasui era where i could just transform the figures without worrying about stratching. with prime v3 and bee v2, i loved the engineering on them, but found myself being super careful and treating them like they’re delicate objects that aren’t to be played with much. i love the g1 line, don’t get me wrong, but the current direction/qc is a little bittersweet.
     
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  9. Xaxis

    Xaxis Multi-dimensional Traveler

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    These experiences are reassuring, thanks both of you for sharing. Please keep us updated if anything changes.
     
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  10. blake

    blake Well-Known Member

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    No cracks. Great toy. This is masterpiece imo design wise. Just not with people having the cracks. Love how all accessories store in robot mode. Biggest con to me is the head being gappy for the gimmick. Stop Givin us dumb gimmicks! Like prime voice clips or bumblebees doors. Or at least give us a non gimmick head, since we pay 150 dollars for these things. And the feet coulda did with an extra tab to prevent gaps as well. Oh and be real careful the joints are really stiff. Here's a couple pics with a few I havnt put away yet.
    20191228_141157.jpg 20191228_141145.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2019
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  11. chchchch

    chchchch Chunky Coherent

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    Someone posted these tips on Twitter. Between Google's translation and not having experienced the figure for myself yet, I don't really know what it's talking about, but maybe it's helpful:

    A X E L on Twitter

    I was okay, but maybe the metal shaft is too thick and it's easy to load. ∀ ;)  I was worried that the tension would be strange when moving. I think that it is necessary to move around here to break in before breaking.

    A X E L on Twitter

    Although it was flushed by TL, it is a measure to break the hinge

    [​IMG] It seems that the corners of the engraved parts were interfering and cracked by the "Lever Principle". Here you can open and close smoothly if you drop the corners of the parts. Please try it if you want to replace a defective one so you can prevent damage (* ´ ∇ ` *) Also, the corner of the ankle cover interferes a little.

    EM43MxRUwAAMXnG.jpeg EM43NxfUwAAo_lb.jpeg

    A X E L on Twitter

    I just adjusted it. It can be opened and closed normally with patter like this (* ' ∇ ` *) Without adjustment, it opens only halfway, so the tension on the hinge is completely different, so the effect is enormous ( ☆∀☆ Please try it. Not only breakage prevention but also deformation can be done smoothly.

    Video: A X E L on Twitter

     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2019
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  12. divinecomedy

    divinecomedy Board Certified Fans Trollar

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    I actually find your post a little bit disquieting. What might be happening here is that there are specific batches with extra QC because they are heading towards the overseas market, whereas the Asian market will have some good batches and bad ones just because of cheaper prices. No free lunch.
     
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  13. Chris C137

    Chris C137 Have some self respect. Take the QC sticker off.

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    Yeah, as much as I can't complain with the copies I've got, I still think Takara need to be doing better with their QC, particularly since they've moved up multiple price brackets over the past few years. I'd argue the standard of figures has improved with the price (MP45 is questionable though, as much as I like him), but the extra paints and complex engineering has opened the figures up to more potential QC issues that they just haven't gotten on top of so far.
     
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  14. jackisking

    jackisking Well-Known Member

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    Hopefully @lord ginrai sees it as he reads Japanese , for a full translation
     
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  15. kazukun

    kazukun HAACHAMACHAMA~

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    Well, got mine from amiami yesterday, transformed it twice but nothing I notice aside from the chip on the thigh, but do be careful when unlocking the arms when going back into jeep, it does require some force on mine and I had to hold it by the piece where it rotates out to make sure I don't snap it, also watch for the steering wheel/shaft when collapsing into robot mode since the wheel inside the body will make it bend.
     
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  16. alty66

    alty66 Well-Known Member

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    The broken hinge on mine doesn't bother me too much. I never planned on transforming him again anyway ,so the superglue fix on the crack will be fine for me. As for the figure itself, I absolutely love it to death. He just oozes Sunbow greatness.

    Sadly, there are few G1 figures I'm willing to pay the Takara price for, so if a good enough 3p alternative is available and less expensive, that's who'll get my money.
     
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  17. Jarrod

    Jarrod Semi-retired Builder

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    So, not only did DHL decide to randomly work on a Saturday, they also decided to deliver mine like 5 hours earlier than normal! Great surprise for today.

    Anyway, mine appears perfect. In fact, it's like the most perfect MP I've gotten in the last 5 or so releases. No paint blemishes, no cracks, no misaligned symbols, no wobbly/loose joints, just excellence all around.

    I will say, however, the plastic definitely feels thinner than previous releases. And there is more flexing in some panels than I'd like. BUT, I didn't feel like I was going to break anything. That said, I highly, HIGHLY recommend moving all those hinges by holding as close to the hinge and possible, while supporting the surrounding pieces. I'm plan on swinging a number of them back and forth a number of times to loosen them up.

    I can also see how some of those panels could be snapped off. The rear panel, that the spare tires attaches to, the one we've seen a few people break off, just has too much going on for that tiny little hinge. But, if you're careful, it should be ok. Just be aware, it is NOT supposed to open outward very far, just a few degrees to untab the tab. The hinges on the spare tire are also very tight, so trying to move them, without supporting the green panel, could put undue stress on it. Normally, I think the idea of needing to watch a video review to transform a figure a little silly, but in Hound's case, I think knowing how the panels are suppose to move, is a good idea. The instructions are just very small, and a little vague in certain areas, that I don't normally find is the case with TT.

    I had, and loved, FT Willis, he was so close to "perfect" to me, but the initial pics of TT's take definitely swayed me, significantly, in TT's favor. I have to say, TT did NOT disappoint. Jeep and Robot modes being a little smaller all around really help him fit in better. And of course, so does the amazing Anime styling. The fully integrated transformation is astounding, and, it's not specifically stated in the instructions, but the robot mode gun can store in the legs in vehicle mode too! I was also nice to get a box loaded with stuff again, plus a more substantial figure to give that "getting your money's worth" feeling coming from BB's big box of air.
     
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  18. Shin Densetsu

    Shin Densetsu I WILL DESTROY YOU Content Contributor Veteran

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    That does make sense
     
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  19. peddlerofwine

    peddlerofwine Starscream's Robot Gun

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    Just got to messing around with him today, and I like him. No obvious cracks outside the box (ordered from AJ). But noticed a crack on one of the back door hinges after I transformed him. I’m not transforming him again. A shame since I planned transform him from time to time. That’s my only gripe since I was extremely careful. This makes this figure a “like” instead of a “love.” Here’s pic with the Maketoys version just for comparison, as well as the cracked hinge. 884F15CE-7713-4A9E-ACD0-789C796B35AE.jpeg 86B0ACC4-9EFF-4470-9948-96B6CDD69555.jpeg
     
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  20. Shin Densetsu

    Shin Densetsu I WILL DESTROY YOU Content Contributor Veteran

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    Question for those with cracks, are the cracked pieces painted? Thicker paint can cause cracks and with the bare minimum clearance these things have, paint can actually throw the tolerances off.

    This is how and why an unpainted test sample may have made it through qc with no cracks.

    However, I do think the knurled pins play a part too. Smooth pins may have been better for this release.
     
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