TT got so much right on MP-52, it could easily be up there with the likes of Megatron as one of the all time greats imo. But the fact TT somehow decided to use a tiny flat head pin to connect the foot assembly to the leg, which effectively makes this connection bear the entire weight of the figure, makes me really wonder why at this point, 20 years into the MP series they're still making this kind of odd design choice. JET MODE: Is this the first officially licensed F-15 we've ever got in Transformers? Either way, it's a great looking jet mode. Because of the nature of Starscream's transformation, they were able to put a lot of realistic panel lining/mechanical details on this jet mode while still maintaining a show accurate 'bot mode with minimal surface details. They even nailed the Sunbow side view profile where the jet has the distinct leg-shaped undercarriage Although it's nice that they included the MP style stand, it doesn't really provide a lot of display options. The side to side hinge on the connector can barely hold the weight of the figure, and the front to back one is not much better. So I struggled to put the jet in a decent dynamic 'pose' without the connector giving. TRANSFORMATION: I actually thought the transformation is mostly really well done. It hits the right balance of getting the job done without being needlessly complex. The flow of transformation takes a page right out of MP-44's book where the mass of the vertical stabilizers is removed from the legs going into 'bot mode, eliminating the need for them to be able to fold (resulting in a much cleaner looking jet mode), and freeing up space in the shin to store the thigh and the horizontal stabilizers. The thigh collapsing into shin bit is quite clever too. I also like the little transformation from missile to null-ray launcher. The flat head pin mentioned earlier holding the foot assembly and the thin leg panel together is all there is the carries the weight of the entire figure. This joint needs to be ratcheted and held together with a threaded screw at the very least imho. 'BOT MODE: There's no doubt the 'bot mode looks gorgeous. The proportions, the head sculpts are all spot on. There's not much can be improved here imo. Just like Megatron and Prime before him, Starscream is full of character and incredibly photogenic. I have wanted the ''How it pains to me to do this" face since the MP series began and it is done to perfection here. Love the laugh face too. The 'Cosmic Rust' claw and shrapnel are a surprisingly good display option. Just like all the MP 3.0 figures, Starscream has excellent poseability. The lack of waist articulation gives me much less trouble than anticipated when posing him around. Maybe partly because he was never shown twisting his waist much in the cartoon anyways. There's a really clever mechanism that allows the back panel to stay attached while accessing the ab crunch. The thumb joint is at a weird angle and takes some getting used to. My right ankle is very loose straight out of package. It's such a shame with all this articulation I have to pay extra attention just to get him to stand without shelf diving. Oh, he may be the first MP figure to have all fingers individually articulated? He can pull off a very natural looking kneeling pose. The obligatory 'Instrument of Destruction' pose, with the dedicated face sculpt for this very scene. Oh, they cheaped out on the Megatron gun this time. The silencer, stock and scope are no longer removable. The stand is pretty much useless in 'bot mode, as the adaptor piece plugs into the mid back area on Starscream instead of the usual behind area on other figures, rendering the stand support piece too short to be of any meaningful use. He scales great with Megs imho, and looks great in an MP 3.0 display. OVERALL: As mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of the ankle design, and there's a few other design choices here and there that feel like TT probably needed another pass before going into production. He's an otherwise great looking display piece. For someone that values hands on experience and tactile feel, he won't wow you as much as MP-36. It looks like from Skids onwards TT are going back to the MP2.0 design philosophy. If this seeker mold is the last new mold to come out of the MP3.0 era, I wish they will at least do some minor remolds further down the line to make it better and more robust.
Would they have enough space in ankle for anything else? The foot takes up a lot when folded in as it houses the landing gear as well. In bot mode it deals with the folded in fins. Not sure ratchets would fit in there. I do agree the ankles are fidgety. When I was posing him he nearly dove into megs knees, the cheeky bastard. He's definitely an improvement over 03, but something just feels off. I think lower legs are kind of gundam boot level ridiculous, but overall he's... okay? When they release the rest of seekers officially I might bite. I appreciate him having an extra canopy to cover the actual canopy from damage, but what was the point if he has no ab crunch or swivel lol. Hiding excess into the backpack wings was clever and I thought the null ray to missile was phenomenal as I was not expecting it. Only other gripes I have are how tight the blue tail fins are (there's a ball protrusion to hold it in place so be careful) and how they really should have made the nosecone hinge metal(be really really careful with this). Turning that nose section was absolutely terrifying with how tight it was. I was fully expecting that thing to break or crack as I needed to get extra leverage from the hinge to actually turn it.
Welp, I'm really out of practice taking photos lol. Hard to find photography time when you're chasing a one year old most of the day. Anyhow, here are some fun photos I was inspired to take looking at Starscream. My opinion, I think its worth the cash and is easily the nicest seeker released by any 3rd Party or Takara Tomy. Now, comparing it to Bandai's VF-1s jets is another story but those figures have their own faults I won't discuss here. If anyone is interested in comparison photos, I have them and can easily do that another day. The Good: Articulation, paint, and design. This figure looks like the animation model and I have no problem with the figure's engineering. The designers cleverly hid a lot of jet kibble that plagued other releases. It's crazy to reflect on MP-03, with its samurai inspired jet tail fin storage, to this model where its all successfully hidden. The Bad: I don't have any cracks but I do have a problem with the air intakes. I'm working to resolve that issue but even if it can't be fixed; it doesn't bug me to the point that it overshadows the figure. Also.... don't kill me but I think we need Megatron 3.0 lol. Megatron looked dated with MP-44 but he looks downright ancient with MP-52. Also.... the MP-11 seeker models look bad too. The Meh: The panel folding can get annoying.. I'm obviously no engineer but the amount of folding, flipping, and tabbing to achieve the robot look is kinda excessive. Not horrible, not bad, and I have no idea how that could have been fixed. After four transformations, I can convert this bad boy in under 10 mins.
I know that most of the MP discussion happens in the reveal threads these days but I very much appreciate detailed review threads for these figures, so thank you you two for this.
One of the reasons I jumped off the G1MP wagon. I doubt we will ever see a complete G1 line up, as there will always be someone being made, or remade. That said, It does look really good for the toon look. I prefer the toy or machine look, so this is an easy pass. Ill prolly hunt down a KO down the road and paint it up like an F15.
I agree with that. Then collecting the main line, you generally get a complete set of characters from the era (Legends, Siege, Kingdom, etc) but Masterpiece just jumps all over the board. From G1, to Victory, to Beast Wars, to Beast Wars II, back to G1.....
Yeah, I don't really see the big deal - been collecting MP since 2005 or so and I don't feel the need to have a complete set of characters. There are some I'd prefer they do sooner rather than later (Blitzwing, Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge) but I'm not jumping to 3p just because Takara hasn't released them.
But at the rate they are going, we will be maggot food before we see some of the ones you mentioned. Gewalt was one of the ones that killed G1mp for me. For what I paid, and the quality and look that I desire, there was no need to be slavish to takara. Another one is the 3rd party movie hotrod. Can't remember his 3rd party name, but that car is one of the finest looking transforming cars made, and the bot mode is simply incredible. Instead of me waiting 5 years for them to get to that figure, I've already got it, pretty sure its better than hastak will ever make... Add to that..perukill...the OSKO movie brawl...etc. I dont even see that much KO stuff anymore for G1 stuff...its all movie or other series figures. G1 is glorious...it was an amazing time in kid history...but I think there is some serious G1 fatigue in general. On top of everything else I said....hell...some mainline TFs now are better than the MP. What would you rather have, studio voyager hot rod, or MP hotrod? Its not even close. Then look at the price. From my perspective, hastak killed their own MP line by not keeping up with cutting edge transformation techniques (i mean the way 3rd party will dare to make something a bit more fragile or different for the sake of the figure as opposed to durability drop tests..) The new mainline TFs are MP quality of a few years ago. Just a bit smaller scale.
As far as transformation goes, I've yet to see any 3p G1 MP come close to Takara. Some 3Ps have superior bot modes, but it's very rare for a 3P to match bot, face sculpt, transformation, and alt mode that Takara typically achieve. Re new mainline figures, I also disagree (and I collect both). While Hot Rod is a superb figure, it's not comparable in detail or articulation to recent MPs, and the alt mode is not accurate in proportion.
I love him, some bits feel a bit off when handling but my copy seems to have no issues build wise. I just can't pay the prices for the other two.
Oh, no parts fall off. Just not fully all the way in, mainly his back thruster flaps on the legs. The feel like they hover instead of connect.
