View Poll Results: MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe - worth buying?

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  • Yes

    41 74.55%
  • Only if...

    10 18.18%
  • No

    2 3.64%
  • Not even interested

    2 3.64%
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Thread: Toy Review - JP Masterpiece Lambor/Sideswipe

  1. #1
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
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    Brisbane
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    38,239

    Default Toy Review - JP Masterpiece Lambor/Sideswipe

    (Please post comments, photos or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details to start you off)

    Series - Masterpiece
    Sub-line - none
    Size/class - n/a
    New/remould/redeco - new
    Wave - MP-12
    Released here - not here (released in Japan October 2012)
    Approximate Retail Price - 6000yen (about AU$75)
    Approximate Size - 16cm
    Allegiance - Autobot
    Alt-mode - Sports car
    Main Features/Gimmicks - Licensed Lamborghini, pile-drivers (and jackhammers with Amazon exclusive)
    Main Colours - Red, white, black
    Main Accessories - Gun, shoulder cannon, 2x pile-drivers (plus 2x jackhammers with Amazon exclusive)


  2. #2
    Join Date
    15th Aug 2010
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1,367

    Default

    The above pics really are in-hand accurate and do a better job than I could with my crappy phone cam so I'll restrict my shots to a couple of G1 mold comparisons.

    The whole reason I jumped on this one was because I loved the character from the show, and it was a new mold for the MP series as well as being the pinup car of the 80's, the magnificent looking Lambourghini Countach.

    The first thing I noticed once this arrived however was just how small the box is in comparison to othe MPs. Even though he's smaller scale, Hasbro MP-10 still comes in a big box, but MP-12 Lambor's box is probably the size of the plastic bubble for Classics deluxe size toys and the actual toy is not much bigger, if at all from deluxe.

    That said, I am still very happy with MP-12, and here's why.
    1. The transformation sequence. While the toy is small, the transformation sequence is very much masterpiece, requiring very clever unfolding of panels and hiding of tabs in car mode. At the same time it is not so complicated as to become counter-intuitive. Articulation is high level as well.

    2. The paint job is fantastic. While the only metal in the toy is pins and screws, even holding it in hand it is easy to mistake many of the parts for die-cast metal. The overall look in both car and bot modes is fantastic. I'm also uncertain that if this received a Hasbro release that they could/would replicate the paint job and in this case I feel a Hasbro release would be inferior.

    3. They really nailed the Countach form. In car mode it would be pretty easy to mistake the toy for a high end non-tranforming scale model.

    Here are a few pics:

    Even with the articulation, he can still pull off a G1 pose!





    [/QUOTE]


    While for me there are many pros, there are the cons as well. I was lucky and got mine for the introductory pre-order price ($62 +$20shipping). Holding him in hand, I'm not certain that I'll be dropping that amount on red alert, and the prices now are around $95 shipped (from RK - could be different now, not sure). Another small bug bear for me is the rubber tyres gimmick on MPs. Lambor has plastic tyres and while they look good, mine had a small nub of plastic left from the injection process that means no smooth rolling of the vehicle. It also means that if you want the wheels to turn, you need a grippy surface not a smooth one.

    The pros far outweigh the cons for me. 9.5/10 and a definite pickup.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    5th Apr 2008
    Location
    Toyooka
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    Default

    Just got mine and had a quick play. My first impressions are very positive - it definitely feels Masterpiece grade in hand, not like a cheap deluxe. The transformation is elegant and incredible how well they represented the robot mode from such a compact car. He's basically kibble-less and the collapsing doors into backpack is so nice in that it makes his silhouette from the front absolutely perfect.

    I only have 2 small gripes: First, the plastic tyres - seemingly a cost cutting measure only, as it seems like there's no other reason not to have done them. They look fine, but sucks for me because of the pedigree and just the overall nicer rolling realism they give on figures like the Alternity range.

    Secondly the arm panels which form the doors, are on a pin hinge which doesn't have just the tiny tab it'd require to fully close and align in vehicle mode. This one bugs me the most since it would have been such a simple fix, and considering the lengths they've gone to overall, it's flat out surprising that it wasn't done.

    Sitting the gun on the roof is also a tight squeeze on mine at least, i was a bit worried i'd push through the roof! But the self-sealing hole for them is great and i probably won't put them on there anyway as i'm not found of the whole 'roadblasters' look.

    I guess you could complain that the play value is limited in terms of hood/trunk/doors not opening, but i think implementing any of them would have compromised the robot mode look and made things too complex, so i feel they've made the right decision not to attempt to include them.

    I really hope this leads to some more 1984 cars like Jazz & Prowl, cause Sideswipe here makes even their excellent Classics Deluxes look average.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    21st Nov 2008
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    1,158

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    No diecast...No rubber tyres....Masterpiece my @$$. You will not get my money this time Takara!!
    (looks pretty though)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    30th Dec 2007
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    5,089

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    I must say I'm underwhelmed so far by mine. I haven't transformed him yet but size (MP size my backside), Red not matching all over (I think due to some of the panels being painted clear plastic) and the plastic wheels, What the hell is this plastic wheels rubbish with a $65.00 MP Takara I hope my impression changes when I get a chance to Transform him but at the moment I wouldn't recommend this MP. I hope I didn't pay extra for that weird collectors coin, I did get the chisels thrown in at no extra cost from Ehobby

  6. #6
    Join Date
    24th Nov 2009
    Location
    1984
    Posts
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    Seriously... there is no diecast or rubber tires, something the original toy has over a MP that came nearly 30 years later! That's just rubbish.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1orion2many View Post
    Red not matching all over (I think due to some of the panels being painted clear plastic)
    I expected them to get at least this right considering the paint job was done by Lamborghini.
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    5th Apr 2008
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    Toyooka
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    The red differences are very, very subtle and highly dependent on light source and angle. I think they did pretty well, we all know painted over transparent plastic never quite looks the same as painted over regular plastic.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    19th Dec 2008
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    HK
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    3,250

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    Quote Originally Posted by 1orion2many View Post
    I must say I'm underwhelmed so far by mine. I haven't transformed him yet but size (MP size my backside)
    You do know it was done so his vehicle mode and robot mode would be in scale (according to the G1 Production Bible) with MP10, right?

    I would have preferred the rubber tires myself, but I can live without them.
    On a semi-related note, stuff is expensive over here. $65 for something like MP Lambor isn't too bad by Japanese standards.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    27th Dec 2007
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    Sydney NSW
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    37,637

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultra Mackness View Post
    I was lucky and got mine for the introductory pre-order price ($62 +$20shipping).
    My pre-order for the Amazon version cost me 4436JPY ($53).

    Quote Originally Posted by Ultra Mackness View Post
    and the prices now are around $95 shipped (from RK - could be different now, not sure).


    Quote Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper View Post
    You do know it was done so his vehicle mode and robot mode would be in scale (according to the G1 Production Bible) with MP10, right?
    Indeed. And this is the cheapest RRP we've ever seen on a Masterpiece Transformer. I don't know if it's worth the full RRP of 6090JPY ($72)... I'll decide that when I see one IRL.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper View Post
    On a semi-related note, stuff is expensive over here. $65 for something like MP Lambor isn't too bad by Japanese standards.
    Actually, traditionally TF pricing in Japan has typically been either better or on par with Australia's TF RRPs. It's only been in some more recent instances that we've seen JP RRPs well exceed AU RRPs in relative terms.

    But then... who knows how much Hasbro would sell MP Sideswipe for in Australia. The cheapest RRP I recall seeing for a MP was Rodimus who initially sold at $80. If Hasbro brings the price down to $60-70 that's still not too far off TakaraTOMY's price. If they nearly halve the price to say approx. $45, that would be more impressive. But then again, I paid the pre-order price of $53 for mine, and it's the Amazon exclusive. My current impression is that the pricing seems reasonable for a Masterpiece. Again, whether it really is worth it or not is a judgement I'm still reserving for when I get to see this toy for myself (either when mine finally arrives or hopefully if I can see someone else's first ).

  10. #10
    Join Date
    5th Apr 2008
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    If you want to get real picky on scale, i have some bad news!
    Just looking at the length measurements on the instructions:
    Countach: 4140mm
    Alternity Orochi: 4560mm
    But in toy form they're exactly the same length whilst their height and width is accurate to real life.
    I might have to return one of them!
    Last edited by kurdt_the_goat; 2nd November 2012 at 10:08 PM.

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