Toy Review - (Hasbro) MP Rodimus Prime

[Lint]

This is a fantastic toy. There are no overbearing quality issues, the chrome is quite nice and he is a great figure to play with.

I don't own the Takara version but noticeable differences are:
-most of the mechanical problems seem to be fixed. The leg panels all line up and can lock into place in all modes, the hands are correctly assembled and can hold the guns, the chest panel locks in (could be tighter i suppose) and I have no trouble with 4 wheel locomotion. None of the joints are floppy so he is highly poseable.
-A much more Hot Rod accurate chest flame decal, as opposed to Takara's Rodimus Prime decal.
-they use a darker metallic grey for the hands and face etc which I prefer
-dark blue clear plastic for ALL clear plastic involving parts. Its great for the windshield and visor but not so much for the headlights and saw. Also there is a strip of blue plastic on the roof which looks sucky. Could have been painted over in red like in the Takara version.
-The engine block is painted silver instead of being chromed. This looks somewhat cheaper but I suppose is more practical as the silver paint is less likely to scratch during transformation. The rims are also not chromed and are just grey plastic.
-Hasbro version scrimps on a few paint apps/details here and there. What I noticed was the rear thrusters/lights and the forearms do not have painted details like the takara version. Also the chest flames are not outlined in black like the Takara version, but I prefer this design. Overall paint quality is good. I did notice that one side of the yellow spoiler is painted slightly more thoroughly than the other. Also the joint between the windshield and bonnet had a little bit of orange paint flaking off from mechanical wear.
-the leg panels are red and resemble the G1 toy which I prefer
-the dark grey/pewter colour for the rifle is very pretty and much better than the bland takara black. The red and blue highlights ruin it though.
-comes with Offshoot, who is the best and most articulate minicon/targetmaster class toy to date
-I think the Takara version uses much glossier plastic which gives that luxury vehicle look.
-Hasbro version comes with a welding tool attachment for his arm. Not sure if the Takara one had this?

Overall if you do not have the Takara version of this toy I recommend getting him now. He is a relative bargain at $80. Unless of course you are waiting for the redux of MP-09 from Takara and are a fan of Rodimus Prime.

If you do have the Takara version this toy doesn't add much value apart from Offshoot. However I reckon he is a much better Hot Rod and can be justified as a purchase for only this reason.

Originally Posted by VERT

But whats the deal with the extra sticker sheet with Arm stickers and an Autobot and Con Symbol?

The arm stickers are sposed to give even more toy accuracy. The bot and con stickers I have no idea about. If anything they shoulda given us hipster/belt stickers.

Originally Posted by Paulbot

Is Sparks Firebolt Offshoot a brand new figure? Or is it an upscale/redeco of an existing Targetmaster/Minicon toy?

Yes he is a brand new figure which far more articulation (head, arm, shoulder, elbow, knee, hips) than i've ever seen on a targetmaster/minicon toy. However there seems to be not that many ways to make a targetmaster

[Lordy]

Man this thing is a bugger with the final part of transforming from robot to car where you fold the hands up and pin the arms against the car. I just can't seem to line them up properly, and none of the videos on Youtube seem to be helping

[SMHFConvoy]

Originally Posted by Lordy

Man this thing is a bugger with the final part of transforming from robot to car where you fold the hands up and pin the arms against the car. I just can't seem to line them up properly, and none of the videos on Youtube seem to be helping

I only found out by watching Peaugh's review that the fists shouldn't be clenched but folded around the forearm

[Lint]

Originally Posted by SMHFConvoy

I only found out by watching Peaugh's review that the fists shouldn't be clenched but folded around the forearm

yeah I had to watch a vid too, the instructions didnt help at all and it was driving me up the wall.

[VERT]

Yeah it does look like they have fixed alot of the problems. I have found that this Hotrod actually rolls unlike my Takara Version that drags the folded hip section.

[Lordy]

Originally Posted by SMHFConvoy

I only found out by watching Peaugh's review that the fists shouldn't be clenched but folded around the forearm

Thank you, I will check it out

[The Scream Man]

i got him today, and u guys are right; he's great. However, even after folding the hands over the arms i STILL couldn't get the arms to lock. Eventually I just slid the hands off and it all locked in.

I dunno what I'm doing wrong. It seems to be the ankle joints that are causing the problems; They block the hands, and the small flaps that o over them dont lock down right either. But i can't see how to do it differently.

[kurdt_the_goat]

When you've got the feet into vehicle position, push your finger some more on the ankle joint so it clicks in another notch backwards, freeing up room for the hands. Even when you have one foot correct, and the other wrong, without really paying attention it's hard to see that they're in different positions! Doing this also aligns the base of the feet better (they should be parallel with each other)

[Lint]

Originally Posted by The Scream Man

i got him today, and u guys are right; he's great. However, even after folding the hands over the arms i STILL couldn't get the arms to lock. Eventually I just slid the hands off and it all locked in.

I dunno what I'm doing wrong. It seems to be the ankle joints that are causing the problems; They block the hands, and the small flaps that o over them dont lock down right either. But i can't see how to do it differently.

What kurdt said is right, you cannot follow how the feet have been folded out in the instructional diagram. You must click back the ankle joint so that it gives maximum clearance for the hands.

[The Scream Man]

Guys that helped A LOT thanks! i appreciate the help