Damn, I have IT-01 incoming to pair with MS-01. I picked him for his color. I went by the photos in this thread and they looked good as a pair to me.

 

I've been pairing mine with a standard MP-36. They look great together.

 

IT-01 doesn't look bad with MS-01 but he doesnt look great. He comes with great accessories and the head sculpt kicks ass. But, IMHO, IT-01 (and MP-36 by extension) looks like he's about to be man handled by MS 01. This is in part due to the weird MP 36 proportions (which are toon accurate, I admit) and in part due to his slender thighs and thin biceps.

I like it reversed. I want the hero a bit smaller than the big bad.

So, I will give Despotron a go. If I can, I will try to attach the IT-01 head to him. I might even try to nab the IT-01 flail and cannon for Despy too. I have seen pics of Despotron with the MP-36 head and it looks phenomenal (pic attached). I will just need to do some work so it can stay on during transformation. After all that, I will try some matte clear coat and he should be good to go.

 

What exactly is that tape called? I need to buy some, tinfoil works ok but this stuff looks far superior.

Is it this? Blue Duck Mirror Duckling Craft Tape | Hobby Lobby | 1621580

Does it reflect on the sticky side too?

 

Despotron is a pretty good match for MS Optimus. Their chunky designs really complement each other.

 

Now that's a Commander.

 

Vehicle mode weapon storage  

Just need to wedge it in between his thigh gap ?????!!!? What !!!.... Sorry.. couldn't find a better term for it !!

But in all seriousness, it actually pegs and stays in quite well. You can hold him upsidedown and it stays in remarkably well.
You can also seperate the legs and put the weapon in. Then close and peg the feet together. This works better then trying to just wedge it in. But both methods work  
May leave a slight mark but attempt at your own risk !!
So far, my version looks fine. I can't see any marks but it's always possible with wedging stuff in. That it'll leave marks.

 

One thing I noticed in EmGo's video, is that once the trailer hitch is no longer on the trailer, the proportions look fine. Can anyone confirm this? I'm talking about the round bit that rotates & lets the trailer turn. I'm wondering if that part could be removed & replaced with a shapeways part that would let it hook up to MS-01. Failing that, you could just remove that part entirely, and at least the trailer would look better for display purposes.

 

Nice figure 
Still satisfied with my Hasbro mp10 but this one has some points I like more.
Like that there aren´t any fake parts, even the grill is actually the real thing, very nice 

 

I noticed that for the first time when watching EmGo's review the other night, not that the other reviews don't show it. I think you're the first person I've seen point it out here. I definitely award large brownie points for that. Even more glad I have this guy coming.

 

That’s the number one reason I picked this one up. I like to avoid faux parts whenever possible (ahem Sunstreaker). But it has the faux gas tanks so I’m getting the TE-01 too for the real gas tanks and other features I like... but it has the fake grill.

 

Those fake gas tanks really bug me. Not because they're fake, but because they're so ridiculously undersized. They're obviously there as tokens, just to tick a box.

I know that their size is limited by the transformation scheme - the tanks need to fold up inside the legs in vehicle mode - but honestly if I could I'd pop them off and replace them with colour-matched filler pieces.

 

In the cartoon, the gas tanks mass shifted and became smaller (and boxier).

In some shots theres no tank visible on truck, then tiny ones appear on the legs. In others, the tank is very big, disappears when trailer pulls away and tiny ones appear on the legs.

So, it doesnt seem to be a token checkbox thing. It seems like intentional design.

Spoiler

This is different than in recent stuff like Prime in the Devastation game where they stayed big.

Spoiler

 

Since I've never given a single shit about cartoon accuracy - which means I have the same standards as the actual animators - I don't care. I just know what I like and what I don't like.

 

Well, I am not a slave to cartoon accuracy either but I am just saying that it wasnt an engineering shortcut. It was clearly intentional.

 

The 'toon is so inconsistent that the only thing that's consistent about it is that you could find a few frames to make any weird design decision look intentional. I know where to find a scene that would make them accidentally shipping him without a face look like an intentional design decision.

 

Being a slave to cartoon accuracy is nearly impossible anyway. I think if they just take the most consistent aspects and build on those it's fine. But that's personal taste, I think.

 

I agree. The fact that people still try to hold to 'cartoon accuracy' is the single most obnoxious thing about this fandom to me.

 

Hell, I don't think I worry too much about it anyway. I love Iron Factory's stuff and that stuff is more toward the comics look than the cartoon. But it's the characters so I don't care.

 

Well, aesthetics are relative. If I just cared about toon accuracy, I would go for MP36 Megs and TE Prime. But I dont. Its MS01 and Despotron for me.

That being said, I think bigger gas tanks on the legs would look clunky and think that the more toon accurate tiny tanks are an aesthetic plus. This is similar to how the more toon accurate legs are a plus for me compared to MP10. They arent a plus just because they are closer to the toon. They are a plus because they look less clunky.