Page 3 of 4

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 11:20 am
by mongrel
Man look at this garbage paint, first time out of the brand new box. From TFSource, arrived 10 minutes ago. NINETY FRIGGIN BUCKS. Do they usually accept this as a defect exchange if I wait a couple weeks for more stock?

Image

Or maybe I'll wait for the inevitable Hasbro release and just swap the merchandise.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:11 pm
by Ravage XK
The piccy above prompted me to inspect those silver parts on mine closer and while nowhere near as bad mine shows signs where the paint ran onto the surrounding red parts.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:52 pm
by SKYWARPED_128
Finally got my Lambor replaced. The store owner was nice enough to let me open and check several different Lambors he had in stock, but all had mist coats on the sides.

In the end, I just picked one. At least the paint chip is gone.

What, are they hiring stoned gerbils at the TT factory or something?

UPDATE:

I just took another look at the sides of the car mode under better lighting, and the paint's perfect, thankfully.

There are tiny imperfectly painted edges on the "vents" on the side, but I have no problem giving those some minor touch-ups.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:57 pm
by SKYWARPED_128
Mykltron wrote:How would I know if this miss-assembly has happened to mine? I've examined him but not transformed him (I'm trying to save him for my birthday). There don't seem to be any paint problems (although the black around the rear lights doesn't go to the edges). From underneath I can see the front of his groin plate and the front of his 'six-pack', is that right?


You're safe. I checked mine last night and Lambor's abs ARE supposed to be facing the bottom of the car mode.



Thanks for the heads-up. Looks like an ice-pick.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:57 pm
by SKYWARPED_128
Mykltron wrote:How would I know if this miss-assembly has happened to mine? I've examined him but not transformed him (I'm trying to save him for my birthday). There don't seem to be any paint problems (although the black around the rear lights doesn't go to the edges). From underneath I can see the front of his groin plate and the front of his 'six-pack', is that right?


You're safe. I checked mine last night and Lambor's abs ARE supposed to be facing the bottom of the car mode.



Thanks for the heads-up. Looks like an ice-pick. What's it used for?

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 1:33 am
by Breakdown 2099
And I thought Rodimus had issues... I hate that figure.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 7:50 am
by mongrel
Honestly besides the paint issues (chipped silver paint on shoulders, color difference in car mode) his engineering is nice and solid otherwise. Not nearly as bad as first run Rodimus. I was able to touch up the silver with a paint pen, it looks acceptable now.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 4:27 am
by Mykltron
SKYWARPED_128 wrote:


Thanks for the heads-up. Looks like an ice-pick. What's it used for?

Punching holes in things, but not ice.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:11 am
by Convotron
It's shameful how this MP figure is ridden with QC issues. QC problems will always be possible. However, the number of reports combined with the severity of the issues being reported have given me enough reason not to purchase this MP at this time. If subsequent production runs are produced that address these issues, I'll buy one. To be honest, I'll likely wait to see if there is a Hasbro release of the figure. I can allow QC issues at half the price but not at $80 + shipping cost.

Another point that I've noticed is that the tires are plastic rather than rubber. I'm not speculating or making any unsupported claims but it seems as if TT is cutting cost on at least this MP figure.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:14 am
by Ravage XK
Yeah, the tyres are odd. They are plastic but have grooves cut in them as if to suggest that they were supposed to have rubber bands around them.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:26 am
by mongrel
Yeah for $90 they could have at least thrown some rubber tires on there. I know some people prefer plastic though since it doesn't break down.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:45 am
by zappatton2
I have yet to recieve my Sideswipe, but I can tell you right off the bat, the lack of rubber tires is already my biggest disappointment. I'll be super-peeved if the Hasbro release has rubber tires, only because of already invested in Takara Sideswipe and Red Alert. Also, it most certainly means all future MP car releases will also avoid rubber. This makes me a sad panda. But who knows, maybe a third party will sell tires and a tool to assist in making a swap?

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 12:24 pm
by mongrel
Wait until you inspect the paint job before claiming your biggest disappointment. Might be fine, might not. Just... wait. >:oP

As for a third party yeah that'd be nice, but unfortunately this isn't a pegged-in piece - it would likely be really hard to remove them from the rivets.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 8:35 pm
by SKYWARPED_128
zappatton2 wrote:I have yet to recieve my Sideswipe, but I can tell you right off the bat, the lack of rubber tires is already my biggest disappointment. I'll be super-peeved if the Hasbro release has rubber tires, only because of already invested in Takara Sideswipe and Red Alert. Also, it most certainly means all future MP car releases will also avoid rubber. This makes me a sad panda. But who knows, maybe a third party will sell tires and a tool to assist in making a swap?


The one good thing about plastic tires is that they don't degrade like rubber tires do. In order to prolong their lifespan, you'd have to lubricate rubber tires every few months if left exposed on shelves, heat and under sunlight. In storage, it'd still be a good idea to lubricate them every six months to a year.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 6:29 am
by zappatton2
SKYWARPED_128 wrote:
zappatton2 wrote:I have yet to recieve my Sideswipe, but I can tell you right off the bat, the lack of rubber tires is already my biggest disappointment. I'll be super-peeved if the Hasbro release has rubber tires, only because of already invested in Takara Sideswipe and Red Alert. Also, it most certainly means all future MP car releases will also avoid rubber. This makes me a sad panda. But who knows, maybe a third party will sell tires and a tool to assist in making a swap?


The one good thing about plastic tires is that they don't degrade like rubber tires do. In order to prolong their lifespan, you'd have to lubricate rubber tires every few months if left exposed on shelves, heat and under sunlight. In storage, it'd still be a good idea to lubricate them every six months to a year.

I have no doubt of this, as I have seen pretty degraded tires on some toys I'd seen on eBay, but I've still got my G1s from the 80's, and their tires have never shown signs of wear, nor my original MP Prime and Binaltechs, which are getting closer to a decade old. Maybe it's a climate thing? I live in a very humid area.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 6:47 am
by SKYWARPED_128
zappatton2 wrote:I have no doubt of this, as I have seen pretty degraded tires on some toys I'd seen on eBay, but I've still got my G1s from the 80's, and their tires have never shown signs of wear, nor my original MP Prime and Binaltechs, which are getting closer to a decade old. Maybe it's a climate thing? I live in a very humid area.


Yeah, climate has a lot to do with the lifespan of plastic and rubber. Strangely, tough, the rubber tires on my M.A.S.K. Thunderhawk split after ten years in storage, and I live in Asia, one of the most humid places in the world. Then again, it could be the heat.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:18 am
by RodimalToyota
Rubber's biggest killer is the shifting of dry to humid over and over again.
Also incandescent and halogen light will kill rubber.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:45 am
by President-prime
Love sideswipe and adores red alert. But after all these reports, I'm glad I didn't preorder the thing. And I hate he fact that its a little bigger than a deluxe. That's not masterpiece

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:28 am
by Mykltron
President-prime wrote:Love sideswipe and adores red alert. But after all these reports, I'm glad I didn't preorder the thing. And I hate he fact that its a little bigger than a deluxe. That's not masterpiece


He's a lot bigger than deluxe, especially the modern deluxes.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:35 am
by Fox Thiagarajan
Hi everyone. I haven't posted in a while, (busy with life changes) but have been collecting when I was able and I preordered MP-12 a while ago. I feel awful for those who are running into QC issues with this figure, but the one I preordered from BBTS arrived 2 days ago and it is so far issue free. There is a small speck of black paint noticable in his vehicle mode on the passenger side door. Other than this, I have combed over the entire figure and he is fine, in fact even pretty great. Joints are firm and not too tight. I just want people to know that there are probably some decent MP 12s.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:14 am
by cffincher
Got my MP-12 yesterday. I have mixed feelings on this toy. The design and engineering are awesome but the final product's quality is lacking as the black paint masks are not too sharp and the red paint is not consistent or smooth on all parts. Not too noticeable, but not as sharp as it could be. I got mine for around $45 after Yen conversion before shipping, so I'm not too disappointed.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:47 pm
by robotmel
IMAG0103.jpg

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 2:26 am
by robotmel
:-?
So after a fair bit of emailing between myself and China based seller 366offer who supplied my faulty MP-12 Lambor, a resolve was finally made.

After sending many close-up photos of the problems, a couple more emails, the seller asked me to name my refund or to send the figure back for a full refund.
I wasnt keen on sending him back overseas, worried he'd turn up on a desert island somewhere rather than his intended destination!

I requested a partial refund which I would hope could cover any costs to myself for its repair etc. I was offered £15. :-?
Emailing the seller, nice as pie 'n all, I made a slightly larger suggestion which was turned down, for £15 once again?

I felt somewhat annoyed and just wanted to send the entire thing back. This was my second Takara Masterpiece, hoping to stand alongside Takara Starscream, Hasbro Prime, Hasbro Hot Rod, Hasbro Grimlock, Hasbro Skywarp and the Movie Leaders. :BOT:

After cooling off for a couple of days I decided to take my case to Ebay/PayPal for their thoughts on the matter.
I was more than pleased when Ebay came back to me with an offer of a 50% refund from the total price! Thats a payment of £24 for a faulty Masterpiece! Doesnt feel that bad now...

Looks like I need to do a fair bit of swotting up regarding pin removal. :CON:

I can only hope everyone else who are encountering issues with their MP-12s reach a resolve with their respective sellers.
Poor QC issues on any figure, let alone what should be a Masterpiece, should be stopped whilst in the factories, not sold as being new and mint.

I wont make the same mistake with MP Thundercracker or Optimus v2! ;)

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 3:10 am
by Motorthing
Mine finally turned up from Kapow - I paid a lot more than you did but at least some of that price bypassed the bum-rape of a customs charge and I got an as near perfect Sideswipe as I'm going to get - so I got what I paid for. He's way too small for an MP but I suppose this downsizing is the trend-de-jour and having him in hand his pretty much the perfect representation of Sideswipe - he will never be done better than this and I rank him up with MP Grimlock as my fave MP's.

I know Red Alert is coming shortly and Sunstreaker cant be that far away (will Takara have the balls to retool the mold for Sunny or will we just get a yellow repaint with a new head.......?) but I cant help wanting all the '84 cars as MP's now to make up for the mostly disappointing Binaltech series.

Jazz and Prowl/Bluestreak next Tak. Please.

Re: Masterpiece MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe has arrived in the UK, but there are PROBLEMS!!!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:54 pm
by zappatton2
Just got my Sideswipe today, thankfully all the paint applications look pretty good. Aside from the gripes that I wish he was a little bit bigger, and had rubber tires, everything else about this figure is spot-on! I like that he fits together really well in both modes. I find with my MP Rodimus, leg panels are always swinging out, or car mode just doesn't quite snap together all that well, but this guy is really stable in all modes, and doesn't suffer the sort of mis-allignment and visible gaps that I see in most of my other MPs.