eyl: if there is something defective with your MP, contact TakaraTomy.

 

My MP-1 Convoy was missing a panel and when I contacted Takara they bent over backwards to help me... best customer service I ever encountered!

 

http://www.geocities.com/transfandomcomic/transfandom10.jpg

(you may need to copy and paste the URL into your browser as Yahoo!GeoBlotties doesn't necessarily like people direct linking to their images).

:tflaugh I like Takara's engrish response.

 

My 20th Prime wasn't infuriating either. Just his Gawl Dern Ball jointed ankles. Stupidest decision ever.

I love Starscream, but I am disappointed about a few things, most notably just about everything on it is plastic. For almost the same Price as MP1 originally cost, I was expecting as much Die-Cast as on that one. The amount of plastic makes me think of the old Model Plane kits I used to build. It also looks like they didn't really do the best job of smoothing down a lot of the plastic mold run-offs. I had to get my trusty exacto knife out to smooth out a bunch of areas, particularly around the cockpit. Mine also came with some stress marks in the plastic around the rear thrusters, this was before I'd even transformed it. Seems like the quality control was a bit lacking on the one I got.

 

I also would have preferred his coronation cape and crown over the Dr. Archeville character. Hopefully we'll see these as an option down the road.

 

Aside from those issues, I really do like this Starscream.

I just wanted to mention... metal in TFs is no indicator of higher quality or value, nor should it be taken as such. The only thing metal influences is shipping weight. A die-cast MP Starscream with that mold would be a disaster.

Leather seats aren't neccesarily better either, but one should take perceptions into consideration. Die-cast parts have a higher perceived quality and value over plastic for a variety of reasons. They are more durable (I've certainly never seen stress marks in die-cast), and metal is a less common material in Transformer construction, which adds to that perceived value. When 99% of figures are plastic, one with die-cast parts is really going to stand out as something important.

 

And I am aware that "die-cast" refers to a process and not a material, but you know what I mean.

I have to disagree a little. In the areas of high Stress, the metal will hold up much better then the plastic. Maybe metal would have made the toy even more top heavy then it already is, but for the price of it, it should have had more die-cast, or at the least much higher quality plastic. The Plastic feels very light-weight and cheap, just like a Model plane kit you buy for $5-10.

 

But, My point was not that the metal would have made this a product with higher quality, my point was that the quality on the plastic on the one I received was not the best. There were Stress marks in the plastic right out of the box, and the numerous areas where the plastic had not been smoothed down after it was released from the injection molds.

 

I'm not anti-plastic, but I would expect for the price of these, that there would either be more die-cast, and/or the quality of the plastic be much better.

Leather seats aren't neccesarily better either, but one should take perceptions into consideration. Die-cast parts have a higher perceived quality and value over plastic for a variety of reasons. They are more durable (I've certainly never seen stress marks in die-cast), and metal is a less common material in Transformer construction, which adds to that perceived value. When 99% of figures are plastic, one with die-cast parts is really going to stand out as something important.

 

And I am aware that "die-cast" refers to a process and not a material, but you know what I mean.

I think it's just part of the misty-eyed nostalgia through which we view the olden days of G1. There was metal in those toys, so that means it's automatically awesome. (Never mind that by 1986 there was hardly any metal in TFs at all anymore, and there never was much to begin with.) Sure, metal is harder than plastic, but it also can't be dyed or molded with the level of detail that plastic can. It has to be painted, which means (inevitable) paint chipping. Just take a look at people's response to the Titanium figures. How many people have wished that they were made out of plastic, once they took them home and opened them up?

 

The fact of the matter is, MP Starscream in metal would have been lame. Nobody makes die-cast model airplane kits. They'd suck. They're always made out of plastic because it affords the level of detail you need in a scale model of 1:48 or higher. Seriously, you don't want this guy made out of metal. MP Convoy was okay die-cast because he's not that detailed and he's a big rectangular blocky guy. (Though I would like to see an all-plastic version of him, if it'd be possible. I bet he'd stand up easier, for one thing.) But for a mold as intricately detailed as MP Starscream, this was the right decision to make (indeed the only one IMO).

*TF'd my MP3 again last night!*

*is still madly in love*

*new transformation theory removes any fear of stress to the plastic*

*can wear Nul Rays and Missles at the same time*

Is the plastic on MP3 on the same level as the Alternators? Or is it worse? (God forbid!)

One of my worse experiences with my Alts is causing stress marks on my ShockBlast Mazda on the hood flap. Now I keep him constantly in bot' form, cuz the car hood just looks bad. Wish there was a way to diminish the appearance of them there marks...

*TF'd my MP3 again last night!*

*is still madly in love*

*new transformation theory removes any fear of stress to the plastic*

*can wear Nul Rays and Missles at the same time*

 

Whatcha mean by transformation theory?

 

 

Anyway the upper body would cause the thing to fall on its ass and therefore NEED the support rod for robot mode if it was diecast. Honestly I despise diecast, I had to replace two BTs with their Alt counterparts due to chipping, and really I don't like the heavy feeling of metal. Plastic FTW

Yeah - missles on the arms looks a bit silly.

 

I have another comment on difficulty of transformation and the stress marks issue (thanks to Master of Puppets for helping me with this)

 

Part of the problem here is that the Jet mode is nearly seamless. But in order to accomplish that you have all these little locking clip things that end up under the shell of the jet You have to know where these are (cause you can not see them) and you have to transform certain parts in a very specific order in order for there to be clearance etc.

 

Going from robot to jet is a LOT easier until you get to the last step and realize that none of the clippies lock together, because you missed a step! However from that point you can back track and figure out which clips need to be realigned before you complete the final steps.

 

Now going from jet to robot, so long as you remember where those clips are they are easy to address and thus the transformation scheme is very straightforward, and there is little to no stress (to the collector or the figure) involved. However it would have been nice if they at least warned you of this before you start (um well they might have but i cant read and stuff)

 

The bottom line here is that - the transformation is really really amazing. and it gives me lots of those little WOW! moments that I look forward to with my transformers. Its not infuriating like MP1 is. Its actually lots of fun!

 

Question:

Can anyone explain to me what the crotch swivle step is supposed to accomplish? It doesnt really seem to affect transformation at all. I dont understand it, and of course i cant read the text accompanying it.

 

 

Whatcha mean by transformation theory?

 

Quoteing myself again.

 

Its not that i think its so revolutionary (and really the credit goes to Master of Puppets) but i think its the defining element between those who think MP3 is brittle and "feels like its going to break" and those who think its fairly sturdy.

Point is - if you dont acknowledge all the little clippy things and where they are and how they connect (under the jet panels where you cant see them) you will end up breaking him eventually.

 

If you are aware of those - and act accordingly - there is no stress, to the toy or to the collector.