Awesome! My replacement arrived today also and is fault free. Proudly on display now.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by kurdt_the_goat
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Awesome! My replacement arrived today also and is fault free. Proudly on display now.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by kurdt_the_goat
Great to hear you got a good one Kurdt (and congrats too Omega)! :)
Hopefully Takara will extend the replacement offer to distributors and retailers so we on the buying end don't get shafted!
And hopefully Takara gets the message that QC matters more than laps in the money pool...
Robotkingdom got back to me and want me to send it back, I'm not sure if they are going to replace it or do the repairs themselves.
Sounds like they're going to replace it. My wife's ordered clothes and shoes online where she's sometimes sent them back for replacement.Quote:
Originally Posted by philby
I got a double taped box which i opened late last night. The shoulders are on the right way round. Looks like the wing clips are switched tho.
My replacement arrived from Robot Kingdom. It's definitely better but still doesn't quite line up smoothly. Maybe it needs a couple of goes or something. I'm a bit disappointed still.
What stopped me from getting this is that damn stripe across the back of the jet. I know Ramjet had black across his back in some of the cartoon but it impacts his jet mode too much for me.
It's a nice enough MP -- about as good (or bad) as any other MP Seeker, really. There are some neat features in how they've retooled the mould for the "conehead" effect, which involves a lot more than just the head. But when I considered voting on this poll, I cannot say that this toy is worth paying its 15984JPY (AU$200+) RRP. I got this toy for $174.95 w/ PC's pre-order discount, and even then it's really too expensive - not PC's fault, but the RRP on this toy is just too high. As nice as this toy is, there's nothing about it which seems to justify selling it for double the RRP of other MP Seekers. Okay, there is quite a lot of retooling, but really? There's no stand, no missiles, no crown, no cape. :o While the weapons and wings can't be used for MP Dirge and Thrust, the retooling on the rest of the body can.
One reason why I got this toy so late was because I skipped the initial pre-order, feeling that it was too expensive. When the later pre-order round came along, I still felt that it was too expensive (and still do), but just thought, "bugger it," and pre-ordered it anyway. But as far as dollar-value goes, this toy is by far the most relatively expensive MP I've ever gotten.
Recommendation... well, if anyone here really wanted this toy then they probably would have already gotten or ordered it by now. I think that reviews are more useful for people who are undecided, and quite frankly, if you haven't already committed yourself to this toy by now then it probably means that you're just not that into getting it, in which case, save your money.
Enough talk -- pictures now! (P.S. I know that the wings are mistransformed in robot mode, thanks)
Default robot mode
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pspaqzl5an.jpg
Trying to be G1 accurate robot mode, but the boosters aren't designed for robot mode and won't sit flush against the arms. :(
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pspyhysc98.jpg
Comparison w/ G1
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psxbdnh7k1.jpg
Chest attack!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psurdeeadd.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psrfdhenmf.jpg
Jet mode
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps8snzemhf.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psvyavpb7p.jpg
As kurdt_the_goat has already mentioned (and probably others too), one unfortunate result of the retooling is that the nosecone no longer connects with the back panel, and consequently they both just hang loose. Perhaps it was a sacrifice made due to the extensive retooling of this mould.
I was thinking this morning about my previous whinge about the cost of this toy and I'm going to play Devil's Advocate and offer some counter-arguments in justification of this toy's RRP.
- While this toy is expensive by AU RRP ($100), we've had it lucky here with our cost of MP Seekers which have always been cheap - even cheaper than the cost of MP3 (￥10290), MP6 (￥10290) and MP7 (￥10500); so on average the original MP Seekers cost ￥10360 each, or roughly $130. And that's without shipping; so including that and you're looking at maybe about $150.
- The retooled MP11 saw a price hike with an RRP of ￥13000, or approximately $160. So including both new and old MP Seekers, the average RRP is ￥11680 (or roughly between $145~155 - let's say about $150.
- "But that still makes Ramjet approximately $50 dearer than the average MP Seeker!"
Yes it does. But let's look at this proportionately. MP Ramjet is about 1/3 dearer than the average MP Seeker price. But bear in mind that this toy was extensively retooled; it's not just the head. The chest, head, wings, knees, shins etc.; it's rather substantial. It's not just Malibu Stacy with a new hat. And this is a redeco of an existing mould, which costs more money to develop than simultaneously gang-moulding parts for different versions from the outset, which is what happens with toys like the MP Cars. This helps to keep the price down because there isn't the cost of re-engineering an existing toy into a new mould. And each time there's a remould, the price has gone up to cover this cost. This might explain why MP11 was dearer than MP3/6/7, but of course, HasTak have recouped some of this cost by repainting MP11 as MP Sunstorm (x2), Acid Storm, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Hasbro's MP11. As mentioned in my previous post, Ramjet doesn't have the same level of redeco potential. Some parts like the head and chest can be kept for Dirge and Thrust, but the wings would have to be completely redone, and Dirge would need a new gun. I don't even know if they could get away with the "clip on" cheat that they've done with Ramjet, because Dirge's guns are quite skinny. And Thrust's wings would sit along his back (like the non-Conehead Seekers), not on his legs like Ramjet and Thrust; so it would require a different level of retooling. Now consider the fact that Ramjet is a limited exclusive, with a small production run of only 2000 figures made. Economies of scale drives the price up.
Comparison with other limited exclusive toys
I pay about $50 for my limited exclusive Deluxes, e.g. BotCon/Club Exclusive G2 Ramjet, Protoform X, Dion, Gentei Thundercracker/Skywarp etc., and a lot of those figures are just straight up repaints, no retooling. So that's a 2/3 increase from the RRP for a retail Deluxe figure. MP Ramjet however, has an RRP which is about a 1/3 increase from the average RRP of a store released MP Seeker. Ramjet is also arguably better value than MP11T Thundercracker, also a TakaraTOMY Mall exclusive that was limited to 2000 pieces. Because that toy's RRP is ￥14904, or roughly $185, and that toy's a straight up repaint and also fairly "bare bones" on bonus accessories. So Ramjet's RRP is only about $15~20 dearer than MP11T Thundercracker, and considering that there's actual retooling happening here, it's arguably better value. Thus one could make the argument that in relative terms, Ramjet isn't quite as expensive as some other limited exclusive redecos.
But $200 is a lot of money to pay for an individual. I think in relative terms this may be my most expensive purchase ever, off the top of my head, even at $175 I'd say it's the 8th most expensive toy I've ever bought. So while I may be able to think of some reasons to ease my wallet's pain, at the end of the day it still hurts. :o
P.S.: I was wondering what the "NR" stands for in MP-11NR. According to at least one fan theory, it might stand for "New Jetron (Warrior) Ramjet." :confused:
I just figured MP-11 Nosecone Ramjet.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime