Masterpiece Skywarp - Hasbro Version

Discussion in 'Transformers Feedback & Reviews' started by CyberShadow, Oct 16, 2009.

  1. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    an experienced kitbasher would tend to know a sharpie doesnt belong in any kind of repaint project, and would use paint.

    sharpies, even the sharpie paint markers, streak when applied, and rub off. there's no reason to use them. I tried them. sharpie paint markers arent anywhere near the quality of any other paint marker on the market. and paint markers suck. so they suck the most out of other things that suck.

    his eyes are tiny, you're gonna need a good, fine tip. ideally the flat, tiny tip that a paintbrush has.

    the only good use I ever found for sharpies on any toy paint project are simple, dark panel lines that you don't mind if they have a slight purple hue (black sharpies look dark purple on plastic)

    as for your previous use with paint, don't be scared off, everyone's first repaint sucks.
     
  2. Gilgamesh

    Gilgamesh Mostly Harmless

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    Heh, yeah, especially my RiD prowl. It's ruined to the point that it embarrassing to even have it among my other RiD figures. I didn't throw him to the trash only because i couldn't buy a replacement.

    Thanks for your advice, even if it comes off as a bit aggressive, but it's probably my weak grasp of the english language that made me interpret it like that.
     
  3. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    I'm not trying to be aggressive. Sorry. that's my fault, not yours.

    it's just, his eyes are tiny. they're a bright color. a sharpie marker isnt going to cut it. unless you mask the areas around his eyes, then you could pull it off. but that would be a pain in the ass.
     
  4. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Actually, I've used coloured sharpies to colour small areas like eyes on a few occasions, and it works pretty well, especially over a brighter colour. Anything LARGER than eyes would probably look dodgy and uneven though...

    On the MP Seeker molds, I've also used black sharpie to darken the brow area of both Starscream and Skywarp... it looks black, not purple. Works pretty well, since I find their faces look a bit long otherwise, and darkening the area above the brow gives a sense of "shadow" looming over the colour of their eyes, much like the G1 animation model had.

    My only complaint is that sharpies go on glossy, so that dark area has a bit of a "wet" shine to it. I fully admit that a black matte paint would have worked better, but I was a bit lazy and impatient. Still, it looks alright. There are a lot of things I wouldn't use a sharpie for, but sometimes they're just right.

    zmog
     
  5. Autobot Burnout

    Autobot Burnout ...and I'll whisper "No."

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    Well, my local W*M finally realized they had to get rid of the absurd amount of MP Skywarps they still have in stock (I counted 15 at least), so they cut the price to $30, and I got my first MP today.

    After at least an hour of getting to know the figure and it's joints, I have to say he is very deserving of the Masterpiece label. Outside of a restrictive hip joint design (partly because of the hip kibble), the joints will do anything I want them to. The figure also has multi-directional poseability of the wings, allowing for multiple parts to clear them without crashing (espeicaly the hip kibble), which is also very nice. Other clever features include the positionable engine exhaust "vectors", which make for awesome heels in robot mode, and various alt. mode exclusive details like a repair hatch on the plane's back (which I am still trying to figure out the purpose of exactly).

    Transformation is complex, certainly not a level 3 as advertised on the box (I'd hate to see a five year old with this figure, SO many potentialy broken parts...), but not ROTF Prime hard. In a way, it's similar to the classics seeker transformation (arms tucking into the body, the engines becoming the feet), but the MP tucks the nosecone (gimmick and all) through a hole in the back to lock into place and out of sight, leaving the head "ponytail free" unlike the classics toy. The swaping face gimmick (for SW it's stock expressionless and Starscream's sneer) is nice, but I can see potential paint loss if overused (you have to physically pull the face down, turn it below the helmet, and then push up).

    The extras are not spectacular, but they do add to the awesome. The base and provided stand are a bit fiddly (trying to attach the stand to the peg on SW's ass was hard as hell), but the base looks damn awesome and compliments the figure. The Dr. Arkerville "pilot" figure, a holdover from Starscream, comes unpainted in black plastic. As it's hard to make him out for Dr. Arkerville sitting in the pilot seat when the canopy is closed, he could pass for a holo-pilot who is simply there to not make SW look like a self-flying jet to other humans.

    Overall, he is a great figure and should be around the top of one's "to get" list if you don't already have MP Skywarp and want him. And if you can snag him on sale from WM, that's just icing on the cake.
     
  6. Lord Of Tetris

    Lord Of Tetris Well-Known Member

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    It's the air brake. A really cool piece of detail that involves multiple moving parts. Even cooler because it didn't necessarily "have" to be part of the toy, EG it doesn't affect transformation or posability.

    [​IMG]

    Yeah, the black Dr. Arkeville is really hard to see in the cockpit. What I did was, I put my white Dr. A (from Starscream) into Skywarp, and I put SW's black Dr. A into Starscream. This way, both of them have more-visible pilots.
     
  7. Gilgamesh

    Gilgamesh Mostly Harmless

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    I finally ordered this last sunday, should arrive next week or so. I just hope the QC is good on it, as it'd be a bitch to mail it back to the states.

    I have some red testors model paint, I guess I could try to handpaint his eyes red... I guess i'll try on one of the faces first to see how it turns out, although the yellow eyes aren't that bad, maybe i won't even bother.
     
  8. Gilgamesh

    Gilgamesh Mostly Harmless

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    It's been a week since I got him and it's frankly a great toy. It does have its flaws in leg poseability, but overall it really deserves the name "masterpiece". Also thankfully the figure was in good condition, no QC problems at all.

    I bump this only to ask about a weird detail i didn't see mentioned: does anyone happen to know the purpose of the small rotating piece in each of his shoulders? They are two little tabs located on top (edge) of each shoulder, which can rotate to face up or to the side. Are these for starscream's coronation add-on? (was that thing official, if so?)
     
  9. Lord Of Tetris

    Lord Of Tetris Well-Known Member

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    The coronation add-on was designed to fit into those shoulder holes, not vice-versa. They weren't official.

    The shoulder holes were most likely engineered for "ace in the hole" purposes; whether or not a coronation kit was planned, they were at least planning ahead for the eventuality that they might want to do one. Kind of like how MP-01 and the Classics Prime mold have trailer hitches even though their first release lacked a trailer.

    You'll also find a hole on the top of the head for a crown to go.
     
  10. Gilgamesh

    Gilgamesh Mostly Harmless

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    Oh, really? that's neat then. Thanks.
     
  11. Aspen

    Aspen Banned

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    I thought this was a great figure. It was my first Masterpiece as well. He's also surprisingly easy to use in play also.
     
  12. Cosmic Rust

    Cosmic Rust Oldskool Bot

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    I have the US version and love it. I agree that the US plane mode looks better. I'm happy with robot mode too =)
     
  13. SharkyMcShark

    SharkyMcShark Hi. I'm better than you

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    Does this have any improvements in durability over the G1 Hasbro MP Screamer from 2007?

    There's been a bunch of them warming a shelf in a Toyworld near where I live and I'm considering picking one up tomorrow, but I'm probably going to wait a bit if there's no marked improvement (especially on the infamous wing joints)
     
  14. SharkyMcShark

    SharkyMcShark Hi. I'm better than you

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    God Damn you Shane McCarthy, for making me buy this toy.

    I really quite like it.
     
  15. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Me too. I bought one to repaint into Thundercracker, since I already have the Takara MP Skywarp... but I liked it so much I can't bring myself to repaint it. The black plastic has a very different look and feel, and I like the deco, so for the moment, I just have... uh... 2 Skywarps. :) 

    zmog
     
  16. Simsplayer9

    Simsplayer9 Wowza!

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    All of the sudden, from playing G1 Awakening, I want to buy him. Just a question that I have, is he (and the other Masterpiece figures) playable? That's the main reason I buy my figures, haha.
     
  17. Gilgamesh

    Gilgamesh Mostly Harmless

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    Well, I have to say that... not very much. He is very posable (particularly from the waist up) but I'd say it's best as a display piece, even though I still fiddle a lot with him. Leg poseability has some problems too, but nothing that can't be worked around or fixed.
     
  18. Pride21

    Pride21 Honor Wisdom Virtue

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    Quick question. Does Hasbro's MP Skywarp come with a stand like Takara's? Thanks in advance.
     
  19. Dark Skull

    Dark Skull Well-Known Enabler Moderator

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    It does come with a stand yes.....if it looks like Takara's....lemme go look.

    *edit*

    Ok yes it does, but there's a difference. The base of the stand on the Hasbro version has his name already on it. The Takara version has the stand, but the name comes as a decal.....so...you can choose not to have "Skywarp" on it or not. Also the decepticon symbol on the Hasbro base is not as "bright" as it is on the Takara base.
     
  20. Pride21

    Pride21 Honor Wisdom Virtue

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    Thanks The Dark Seeker. Unfortunately I did not luck out in finding him. I have no intention in hunting him down online.