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Thread: New Masterpiece Starscream - MP52

  1. #141
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    Transformed this a few times over the weekend. A lot smoother after the first go, I guess a few things just needed to be loosened up - the nosecone is no longer an issue. I agree with most of danny-boy above, it's a gorgeous MP. The transformation is pretty clever and I love how they've cleaned up the robot mode proportions over MP-3 and MP-11. My favourite part is how the adjustable thrusters behind the feet allow for super easy posing, I can even balance it on a bed with minimal effort. This character was definitely worth getting a redo, at least more than Prime or Bumblebee anyway.
    Can't wait to see the classic seeker trio together!
    Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.

  2. #142
    Smint is offline Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
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    I thought I was out of the MP game, last MP I bought was Sunstreaker but then by chance I saw Starscream and how beautiful it looked. He got me interested again but came back to see limited stock, high prices, QC issues. For 300 I'll bite but for 350+I just cant justify it.

    Having said that I see where all the effort has gone. Individual finger joints, wrist hinge, ab crunch, full neck hinge, paint finish, accessories. The overall likeness is the Starscream from my childhood. MP-11 is junk compared to him.

  3. #143
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    I took the plunge and bought him for about $380 - okay price, neither low nor high. I really like him but I can see why many would baulk at the price, especially given the known quality issues. For me, the price is worth the definitiveness of the model (I was never thrilled with MP-07's robot mode). As for quality, I can tolerate what I've reported below but I know other people wouldn't.

    Report on my copy:

    [1] Like many others, out of the box I have (2) hairline cracks at the base of the right vertical stabiliser and very faint lines but not cracking at the left. The stabilisers rotate firmly but not stiff to the point of worry. And the cracks don't open up with rotation. It's been nearly 2 months since these stabiliser cracks were first reported on TFW2005 and they don't seem to get worse (even if they crack on 1st transformation). Given how common these cracks occur, getting a replacement copy might be just as disappointing. It's amazing why the right cracks more than the left - there is something going on with the manufacturing process.

    [2] My ankles are crack free and not loose, which is another common issue, but are not firm either. Certainly they are not floppy like some others. My copy can stand with straight legs, unlike some, but tilt him forward more than 5 degrees and he shifts to rest with the tops of his feet against his shins (the Michael Jackson lean). Despite his ankles not being floppy, I'm wary of bumping the desk/shelf and him tilting forward then falling over his toes.

    [3] One of my thrusters is a bit loose and it's due to the rivet not pushing the two light grey, semicircular parts that have little notches, together firmly. But the afterburner effect is still held in position fine. And standing is not affected.

    [4] In jet mode, one of the air intakes doesn't tab strongly into the pointy wing bit and so can get bumped out of place. The intake doesn't flop down as there's enough friction at the pin anyway.

    [5] One of the rear landing gear is loose to the point of rattling inside the foot but it locks into place just fine and is then firm. It simply rotates on a pin and is accessible to joint stiffener solution.

    [6] All my faces are correct (none missing, no duplicates), and indeed 100% perfect - not a single blemish on any.

    [7] Both my front wing hinges seem correct. Some have reported the same hinges on both wings, rather than left and right. I think mine are correct and not swapped left and right, from seeing various images. But I've read a post on TFW2005 that would say mine are swapped (apparently they push in-out so they are probably not hard to swap over). It they are swapped over, it doesn't appear to cause problems.

    [8] A minor stress mark at the left front hip flap in front of a pin.

    [9] A few minor paint scratches, a couple of errant paint dots - the usual for MP.

    [10] Both forearm panels rest ajar.



    [11] My nose cone was stiff to rotation but not to the point of worrying about breaking.

    [12] One of the knee pad vents is slightly crooked but not really noticeable.

    [13] No cracks or stress marks of the blue forearm plastic (a few have reported this plastic crumbling).

    [14] Knee ratchets are fine and equal, but certainly not strong - light clicks rather than clunking. Hip ratchets are strong and equal. Some people have reported lack of ratcheting. Starscream is very top heavy (similar to MP-36 Megatron, MP-29 Shockwave or MP-44 Prime) and his knees are far too weak to pass the "holding your figure by the lower legs while horizontal without knee bend" test (unlike my 36/29/44).

    [15] Edit: There is also extra plastic flash at the right elbow of mine. At first I thought I caused damage by transformation but, looking at the joint, there is no rubbing. Other copies on youtube videos can have them on one or both elbows (the official Takara instruction video has both affected). So it is a moulding issue.



    [16] Edit: My right hand stub is very slightly too thick, so the drill and claw hand accessories can't attach. However, it is easy to fix by gentle sanding of one side of the stub.

    Tips:

    When pushing the foot into the grey locking tab, I suggest not pushing the back of the leg (squeezing it against the foot). The foot and thruster are joined to the leg by a single plastic column, which has a rivet in it. If you push the back of the leg, the force goes through this column. This is a reported site of cracking, which might lead to loose ankles and/or breakage of the foot and thruster from the leg. I suggest squeezing the foot against the plastic bit that is part of that locking tab. Same goes for unlocking the foot.





    When folding the bottom half of the nose/cockpit backwards, there's a design problem where two plastic right angles have to curve around each other, and so one or both corners gets squashed. Such plastic deformation can be seen in youtube videos too. There doesn't seem to be a perfect way to avoid it. I tried keeping the rectangular panel with the pin in it as horizontal as possible by sort of pulling it outwards and over the corner it rubs against.



    Be wary of the pointy wing bit when moving things around as they are prone to getting bent or trapped and broken.



    Be wary of the plastic canopy getting caught on the inside edges of the waist to avoid breakage. Make sure the folded up nose/cockpit is flush as shown, and pushed up so the flat area under the head comes up to the top of the faux canopy (or near enough).



    Last edited by Skyfire; 29th August 2021 at 10:44 AM. Reason: Added more QC issues

  4. #144
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    Thats really detailed and helpful to anyone getting/got it. I personally cant justify the price especially with that amount of QC issues. Good work though.
    Spiderken Away!

  5. #145
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    4th Jan 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skyfire View Post
    Be wary of the pointy wing bit when moving things around as they are prone to getting bent or trapped and broken.
    Is that a plastic stress mark on the hinge connecting that point wing bit to the rest of the wing? :|

  6. #146
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    22nd Sep 2019
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    Quote Originally Posted by High_Q View Post
    Is that a plastic stress mark on the hinge connecting that point wing bit to the rest of the wing? :|
    It looks like a very minor stress mark around the pin from insertion, worse in the photo than in life. It's superficial - it doesn't go deeply into the plastic. No crack or looseness of that hinge. I have seen reports of that hinge breaking though, which is why I advise care.

  7. #147
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skyfire View Post
    I took the plunge and bought him for about $380 - okay price, neither low nor high. I really like him but I can see why many would baulk at the price, especially given the known quality issues. For me, the price is worth the definitiveness of the model (I was never thrilled with MP-07's robot mode). As for quality, I can tolerate what I've reported below but I know other people wouldn't.

    Report on my copy:

    [1] Like many others, out of the box I have (2) hairline cracks at the base of the right vertical stabiliser and very faint lines but not cracking at the left. The stabilisers rotate firmly but not stiff to the point of worry. And the cracks don't open up with rotation. It's been nearly 2 months since these stabiliser cracks were first reported on TFW2005 and they don't seem to get worse (even if they crack on 1st transformation). Given how common these cracks occur, getting a replacement copy might be just as disappointing. It's amazing why the right cracks more than the left - there is something going on with the manufacturing process.

    [2] My ankles are crack free and not loose, which is another common issue, but are not firm either. Certainly they are not floppy like some others. My copy can stand with straight legs, unlike some, but tilt him forward more than 5 degrees and he shifts to rest with the tops of his feet against his shins (the Michael Jackson lean). Despite his ankles not being floppy, I'm wary of bumping the desk/shelf and him tilting forward then falling over his toes.

    [3] One of my thrusters is a bit loose and it's due to the rivet not pushing the two light grey, semicircular parts that have little notches, together firmly. But the afterburner effect is still held in position fine. And standing is not affected.

    [4] In jet mode, one of the air intakes doesn't tab strongly into the pointy wing bit and so can get bumped out of place. The intake doesn't flop down as there's enough friction at the pin anyway.

    [5] One of the rear landing gear is loose to the point of rattling inside the foot but it locks into place just fine and is then firm. It simply rotates on a pin and is accessible to joint stiffener solution.

    [6] All my faces are correct (none missing, no duplicates), and indeed 100% perfect - not a single blemish on any.

    [7] Both my front wing hinges seem correct. Some have reported the same hinges on both wings, rather than left and right. I think mine are correct and not swapped left and right, from seeing various images. But I've read a post on TFW2005 that would say mine are swapped (apparently they push in-out so they are probably not hard to swap over). It they are swapped over, it doesn't appear to cause problems.

    [8] A minor stress mark at the left front hip flap in front of a pin.

    [9] A few minor paint scratches, a couple of errant paint dots - the usual for MP.

    [10] Both forearm panels rest ajar.



    [11] My nose cone was stiff to rotation but not to the point of worrying about breaking.

    [12] One of the knee pad vents is slightly crooked but not really noticeable.

    [13] No cracks or stress marks of the blue forearm plastic (a few have reported this plastic crumbling).

    [14] Knee ractchets are fine and equal, but certainly not strong - light clicks rather than clunking. Hip ractchets are strong and equal. Some people have reported lack of ratcheting. Starscream is very top heavy (similar to MP-36 Megatron, MP-29 Shockwave or MP-44 Prime) and his knees are far too weak to pass the "holding your figure by the lower legs while horizontal without knee bend" test (unlike my 36/29/44).

    Tips:

    When pushing the foot into the grey locking tab, I suggest not pushing the back of the leg (squeezing it against the foot). The foot and thruster are joined to the leg by a single plastic column, which has a rivet in it. If you push the back of the leg, the force goes through this column. This is a reported site of cracking, which might lead to loose ankles and/or breakage of the foot and thruster from the leg. I suggest squeezing the foot against the plastic bit that is part of that locking tab. Same goes for unlocking the foot.





    When folding the bottom half of the nose/cockpit backwards, there's a design problem where two plastic right angles have to curve around each other, and so one or both corners gets squashed. Such plastic deformation can be seen in youtube videos too. There doesn't seem to be a perfect way to avoid it. I tried keeping the rectangular panel with the pin in it as horizontal as possible by sort of pulling it outwards and over the corner it rubs against.



    Be wary of the pointy wing bit when moving things around as they are prone to getting bent or trapped and broken.



    Be wary of the plastic canopy getting caught on the inside edges of the waist to avoid breakage. Make sure the folded up nose/cockpit is flush as shown, and pushed up so the flat area under the head comes up to the top of the faux canopy (or near enough).



    Thanks for the write up dude. I’ll be sure to reference it when my copy gets here in a few weeks.
    Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

  8. #148
    Join Date
    22nd Sep 2019
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    Quote Originally Posted by spiderken17 View Post
    Thats really detailed and helpful to anyone getting/got it. I personally cant justify the price especially with that amount of QC issues. Good work though.
    Quote Originally Posted by Trent View Post
    Thanks for the write up dude. I’ll be sure to reference it when my copy gets here in a few weeks.
    No problem fellas. I hope my experience helps others. Trent, the instruction sheet is not very helpful - it's hard to see what to do among all the "technical drawing" mess and some steps are missed or not well highlighted. I went straight to youtube videos like wotafa's. Even the official Takara video is unclear in a few places (but the hand model is great! )

  9. #149
    Join Date
    4th Aug 2008
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    YouTube videos are always the way to go I reckon. I've seen breakages on their reviews and makes it good for us of what to be careful of. Just like your photos and writeup highlighting things to look out for. Good stuff

  10. #150
    Join Date
    19th May 2008
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    Canberra
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    I'm extremely disappointed in Takara for making such a definitive version with excellent sculpt and then ruining it with such major QC issues, and not having any afterservice or recourse for consumers. If it were in line with my expectations, they would do a recall, apology, and redo all the figures using better quality materials, better ratchets and perhaps a redesign of the ankles to avoid looseness/breakage. At a bare minimum, even if fragile, I expect a figure costing $200 plus to be able to stand without fear of falling over.

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