Just got done transforming this guy for the first time.

Overall Grade: Solid "A." Possibly an "A+" once jream's mini-upgrade set arrives.

Pros:

· The bot mode looks like it walked right off the Sunbow screen. The proportions are perfect and the kibble is hidden beautifully. The lack of a backpack (especially compared with MP-44) is amazing.

· The alt mode looks great. I cannot believe how well everything hides away in truck mode.

· The adapter that allows the MP-10 trailer to be used is a great touch.

· The transformation is challenging, but everything locks into place perfectly if you take your time. He is not as fiddly as you would expect from a figure this complex.

· The matrix chamber is amazing. This is the first one we’ve seen that comes close to approximating what Prime’s chest innards looked like in the 1986 animated movie.

· Love the materials and the heft. The rubber tires are appreciated too.

· The sculpt of the hands may be perfect.

· Packaging is gorgeous.

· Price is perfect.



Mixed:

· Articulation. The shoulders have great range due to the butterfly joints. Neck movement is good. His knees are great too – I love the double joint there. Ankle tilt and rocker is top notch. Waist swivel – check. But then you get to the upper legs, where there isn’t a hip swivel…and you see the lack of an ab crunch (only because MS-01 has one)…and you realize there are some limitations there.

· Cannon. The coloration is so-so. I love the light-up feature, but I wish they could have hidden the switch better, or incorporated into a trigger like Toyworld’s Primorion came with.

· Not sure how I feel about the color and transparency of the windshield plastic.



Cons:

· The head sculpt could use some work. It isn’t terrible, but it isn’t great either.

· There are a few places where the colors could sync up better. I’m thinking of the small gray spots on the waist skirt, or the small piece of gray plastic on the back in alt mode. In a perfect world, the metal pins that establish the ankle rocker would have been covered in blue somehow.

 

You could always just put a blue colored sticker over the ankle pin. Just gotta cut it into a circle if you got any sticker sheets from ANY figure that has that color. Or a dab of paint.

 

TE-01 arrived and he definitely lives up to the hype. I can't imagine a more toon accurate Prime.

 

Well... what to say...
MP-10 looks like a nice warm up now. Even upgrades.
Magic Square is fun to flip back and forth and comes off as a more finished MP-10.
Transform Element is easily the best looking and feeling. It's pretty impressive and the transformation is tricky but Paik's video makes it very manageable and almost fun  

 

I'm thinking of getting this guy, so I wonder if you could clarify this a little bit more:

I understand that he doesn't have an upper hip swivel. But does the swivel just above the knee not accomplish the same thing? Is there something about the look or playability that results from having the swivel that low that makes it bothersome?

I'm not disagreeing with you; just trying to get clarity on the pros and cons of this figure.

 

It's just that it looks a bit awkward- you always have the front of the upper leg facing forward no matter where the rest of the leg goes.

 

I need TE to release a grey face for this guy, jream's raised Autobot logo, hopefully stickers that can cover the grey areas on the waist and a black gun to make this guy perfect.

 

Anybody stateside have this in stock? Ready to buy today.

 

Wow...ordered from baba on 2/2 and he he is in hand tonight in NY! I’m impressed. Getting ready to transform

 

TCP

 

Strap in. It's quite a ride

 

Hmmm, just got on their site and it says preorder.

 

He’s in transit at Orlando
He’s almost to me
Yayyayah

 

So, Here's my question.. are those silver cans behind the knees diecast or plastic??

 

The ratchet joint is die cast, the gas cans are plastic. Sorry wasn't 100% sure what you were referencing there.

 

So the sliver ratchets behind the knees are diecast.. Bummer..
I was hoping that was a hard plastic. Well there goes my idea of them casting it in blue over the silver.

 

Could probably just paint it with a blue enamel. Assuming no tolerance issues. The figure has the smartest use of die cast I have seen in a modern MPesque Transformer. I can balance the figure on one pinky for quite some time. Most just fall forward or back. He is both perfectly balanced in his sculpt as he is in his weight ratios. S3 head, real truck detailing that goes into robot mode too. Not to much though, and that keeps him animation accurate. Sculpt work is around the quality of the Van bros era. Still very real world + toon.

Here let me have someone explain it better:

 

Toy Dojo.

 

  

You're absolutely right!
Hey! I didn't know you saw the Season 3 head sculpt in the version TE released? That's so cool. Yea, in Season 3 wasn't prime a very light grey, almost white like? Certainly it does feel like that season's version.


And Making Sport of Rodimus Prime!