The Energon Pub

[fenrir72]

Received mine today. So far so good. Haven't transformed him but I'll def take my time and care once I work up the courage. I've only posed him a little bit and I think he is the best figure I own at this point.

So looking at his face, it don't look too long yes? I heard previous criticisms of it being too "long" when actually it seems to be just an optical illusion which makes it just perfect.

Face is perfect. Funny how I hear/heard so many criticisms about him from those that praise those inferior looking 3rd party figs. He's too skinny, his legs are too long, face is too long I mean cmon now did any of these guys even watch the cartoon? Or even look at cartoon pics for comparison?

Yup. Even in the higher end 1986 movie, the art style wasn't all that consistent. The advantage of most anime is that the production values are consistent (original Macross saga a glaring exemption). Hence we get the long face short face girly thighs argument.

[Ironhidensh]

So let's make this simple, what are the direct questions and concerns you all may have about this figure? I promise an un biased answer to the best of my ability.

Which areas would you recommend to clear-coat?

I wouldn't. It would most likely interfere with the transformation, and this figure MUST be transformed. It is too much fun not to.

[Cyberpath]

So let's make this simple, what are the direct questions and concerns you all may have about this figure? I promise an un biased answer to the best of my ability.

Which areas would you recommend to clear-coat?

I wouldn't. It would most likely interfere with the transformation, and this figure MUST be transformed. It is too much fun not to.

Of course; still, any parts that could use it where clearance won't be an issue.. the face? Barrel?

[Bumblebee21]

So let's make this simple, what are the direct questions and concerns you all may have about this figure? I promise an un biased answer to the best of my ability.

Which areas would you recommend to clear-coat?

I wouldn't. It would most likely interfere with the transformation, and this figure MUST be transformed. It is too much fun not to.

Of course; still, any parts that could use it where clearance won't be an issue.. the face? Barrel?

The barrel already has too much paint on it which is why the silencer scrapes the paint. Originally megs wasnt gonna have as much paint as he does know so the silencer was fitted without accomadating for the paint.

[Cyberpath]

So let's make this simple, what are the direct questions and concerns you all may have about this figure? I promise an un biased answer to the best of my ability.

Which areas would you recommend to clear-coat?

I wouldn't. It would most likely interfere with the transformation, and this figure MUST be transformed. It is too much fun not to.

Of course; still, any parts that could use it where clearance won't be an issue.. the face? Barrel?

The barrel already has too much paint on it which is why the silencer scrapes the paint. Originally megs wasnt gonna have as much paint as he does know so the silencer was fitted without accomadating for the paint.

I plan on either removing a piece from the silencer like Logan suggested, or sanding down the inside. Megatron's gun-mode feels incomplete without it.

[fenrir72]

So let's make this simple, what are the direct questions and concerns you all may have about this figure? I promise an un biased answer to the best of my ability.

Which areas would you recommend to clear-coat?

I wouldn't. It would most likely interfere with the transformation, and this figure MUST be transformed. It is too much fun not to.

Of course; still, any parts that could use it where clearance won't be an issue.. the face? Barrel?

The barrel already has too much paint on it which is why the silencer scrapes the paint. Originally megs wasnt gonna have as much paint as he does know so the silencer was fitted without accomadating for the paint.

I plan on either removing a piece from the silencer like Logan suggested, or sanding down the inside. Megatron's gun-mode feels incomplete without it.

As a collectible piece, would that be wise? I mean just in case some time in the future, you might want to sell it, collectors prefer pristine unmodified items. At least that what Rick says in Pawn Stars. Fire arms in particular command top dollar if it is unmodded and in original condition.

[Wolfman Jake]

Has there been any word yet on the Masterpiece reissues that were supposed to release along with MP-36 Megatron? I'm waiting to ship my Masterpiece Megatron from TFSource until Starscream, Soundwave, Rumble, Ravage, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw are in stock as well. So far, I don't think they've come in stock anywhere yet, and we're running out of April.

[Bumblebee21]

i know theres a bunch of reviews out there but he talks about the translations on the back of the box

[ScottyP]

Has there been any word yet on the Masterpiece reissues that were supposed to release along with MP-36 Megatron? I'm waiting to ship my Masterpiece Megatron from TFSource until Starscream, Soundwave, Rumble, Ravage, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw are in stock as well. So far, I don't think they've come in stock anywhere yet, and we're running out of April.

Those are set for release on 4/30 in Japan so add a week or two to that for them to get to TF Source

[Wolfman Jake]

Has there been any word yet on the Masterpiece reissues that were supposed to release along with MP-36 Megatron? I'm waiting to ship my Masterpiece Megatron from TFSource until Starscream, Soundwave, Rumble, Ravage, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw are in stock as well. So far, I don't think they've come in stock anywhere yet, and we're running out of April.

Those are set for release on 4/30 in Japan so add a week or two to that for them to get to TF Source

Thanks for the info. I guess I should just ship Megatron now instead of waiting up to another month. I don't want TFSource to get any silly ideas in the meantime, like putting an orange safety plug in him or something...

[fenrir72]

Has there been any word yet on the Masterpiece reissues that were supposed to release along with MP-36 Megatron? I'm waiting to ship my Masterpiece Megatron from TFSource until Starscream, Soundwave, Rumble, Ravage, Frenzy, and Buzzsaw are in stock as well. So far, I don't think they've come in stock anywhere yet, and we're running out of April.

The other 'cons are due late April to fill up the G1 'con hierarchy I guess. Takara really knows how to bleed our wallets dry.

[fenrir72]

Just testing a previous theory related to MP-36's grandpa aka MP-05.

I could still find this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Transformers-Ma ... SwGtRXyn5B

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAKARA-Transfor ... SwB-1Y236o

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Special-TAKARA- ... SwAANY7Lu4

etc etc etc in my ebay search.

So they're the unsold "overruns" of the mold which Takara has long retired.

I tried my search on loose MP-36 and I got........ZILCH!

Iirc, prior to MP Clampdowm being released there was like a stray (butt ugly) proto (?) that escaped the factory. There even was that rumor but later turned out to be true unpainted proto of Mp-36 in the first pages of this thread.

But now that Mp-36 has been officially released and selling at ranges of $ 270.00 to $450.00 on ebay,I wonder why there aren't any factory "overruns" of him? The type that even if it breaks up, won't hurt you too much.

You'd expect that given all the flak of its paint, that there'd be stocks of lower quality paint app overruns of MP-36.But none as of this late.

[Evil Eye]

So I watched Bobby Skullface's review of MP-36 and I have to say I think he looks a lot better than I initially gave him credit for. The transformation is pretty ingenious and he doesn't look as bad from behind as I had thought.

However, I still think that ultimately I'll be going for Despotron, for a few reasons.

1: The price. I have to import him either way as all the UK retailers are sold out in both cases, but regardless of where they're being sold, Despotron is significantly cheaper. The cheapest I can find Despotron for is about £100. MP-36 meanwhile costs an absolute minimum of £150, and can go up to £170. And that's before we even begin with shipping.

2: The quality. Whilst MP-36 is not a trainwreck like his predecessor, he does suffer from paint scratching issues and potential breakage. Despotron meanwhile has precisely one issue- a very VERY easily fixed issue with his knees that doesn't even affect every figure. And considering MP-36 costs 50% more than Despotron, that's not very good.

3: Aesthetics. Putting aside personal things like my preference for how Despotron's proportions look, there is no doubt that from the back, MP-36 looks pretty terrible. Again, that price- for £150 I expect a bit better.

4: The transformation. Despotron has (from what I can tell) an intuitive, clever transformation that can be repeated without damage. MP-36 has a very frightening transformation that WILL damage the figure. I like to transform and regularly mess with my figures, and I don't fancy a figure that can't be transformed without damaging it.

So yeah. If I had the money I'd buy both as I really, really like Megatron. But when it comes down to it? Despotron wins. Sorry. I don't begrudge anyone who prefers MP-36 (there's lots of really cool things about that figure) but for my collection he just isn't what I want.

[fenrir72]

So I watched Bobby Skullface's review of MP-36 and I have to say I think he looks a lot better than I initially gave him credit for. The transformation is pretty ingenious and he doesn't look as bad from behind as I had thought.

However, I still think that ultimately I'll be going for Despotron, for a few reasons.

1: The price. I have to import him either way as all the UK retailers are sold out in both cases, but regardless of where they're being sold, Despotron is significantly cheaper. The cheapest I can find Despotron for is about £100. MP-36 meanwhile costs an absolute minimum of £150, and can go up to £170. And that's before we even begin with shipping.

2: The quality. Whilst MP-36 is not a trainwreck like his predecessor, he does suffer from paint scratching issues and potential breakage. Despotron meanwhile has precisely one issue- a very VERY easily fixed issue with his knees that doesn't even affect every figure. And considering MP-36 costs 50% more than Despotron, that's not very good.

3: Aesthetics. Putting aside personal things like my preference for how Despotron's proportions look, there is no doubt that from the back, MP-36 looks pretty terrible. Again, that price- for £150 I expect a bit better.

4: The transformation. Despotron has (from what I can tell) an intuitive, clever transformation that can be repeated without damage. MP-36 has a very frightening transformation that WILL damage the figure. I like to transform and regularly mess with my figures, and I don't fancy a figure that can't be transformed without damaging it.

So yeah. If I had the money I'd buy both as I really, really like Megatron. But when it comes down to it? Despotron wins. Sorry. I don't begrudge anyone who prefers MP-36 (there's lots of really cool things about that figure) but for my collection he just isn't what I want.

Who wouldn't blame you? Despotron is very much influenced by this:

P.S. Seems like they are all going bargain /price cut levels

[Sigma Magnus]

Just putting this here in case anyone cares...

[D-Maximal_Primal]

if I ever get this figure, I will display him with the battle damage like that. It is so cool and I love it

[Wolfman Jake]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger (Ha! Gun humor!) the other day and shipped my stack from TFSource, consisting only of Masterpiece Megatron. Yeah, I was waiting until the reissues of Starscream, Soundwave, and the "Recordicons" came in, but forget it. I can't wait any longer to see what all the fun and fuss is about with MP-36. I'm hoping he'll arrive by the end of the week. I don't want to go through the weekend without the original Decepticon leader.

[Big Grim]

Despotron meanwhile has precisely one issue- a very VERY easily fixed issue with his knees that doesn't even affect every figure. And considering MP-36 costs 50% more than Despotron, that's not very good.

As an owner of Despotron, my one has this minor issue. The right knee slides down a tiny amount. Was not aware there was a fix but that's because tho me, it's something of a non issue. The figure stands easily. I'll look into the fix though since there is one.

4: The transformation. Despotron has (from what I can tell) an intuitive, clever transformation that can be repeated without damage.

The transformation is intuitive and clever but also a lot of fun! I transform Despotron often. Even the slightly fiddly panels for the grip are easy with a little practise, and you get lots of practise because, as I said, he's fun to transform.

[nycPrime]

Ha I wish I could say MP36 was fun to transform.

[Kurona]

If anyone's wondering how he might look in more Marvel-esque colours...

[Omega-1]

I broke the barrel on mine on the first transformation attempt. I was twisting the barrel to straighten it out and I noticed it was loose. I twisted it back to try and figure out what was wrong with it and because it was already loose, I ended up over twisting it and it fell right off. Anybody have an issue with a broken barrel with a successful fix? I thought maybe I could just glue it back on but it seems that you can't put the barrel in robot mode in a way that looks correct in gun mode without having to twist it. I think that it's probably unfixable but I thought I'd ask.

[fenrir72]

Dude.........I've got nothing.

[SpaceKaseJase]

I broke the barrel on mine on the first transformation attempt. I was twisting the barrel to straighten it out and I noticed it was loose. I twisted it back to try and figure out what was wrong with it and because it was already loose, I ended up over twisting it and it fell right off. Anybody have an issue with a broken barrel with a successful fix? I thought maybe I could just glue it back on but it seems that you can't put the barrel in robot mode in a way that looks correct in gun mode without having to twist it. I think that it's probably unfixable but I thought I'd ask.

I posted this suggestion awhile back about a potential post fix re Megs 2.0:

"Was thinking of an idea to fix the broken post issues. Since each one tends to have some plastic either behind or surrounding the base (where it is broken), perhaps using a tap and die with the correct size could work. Drill out the broken base (not all the way through, of course), then use a tap to create threads in the hole. Next, find (or shape) a nylon cylinder that will fit the hole. Use a die with the same thread count as the tap and form threads around the cylinder. Screw the post into place using epoxy to prevent "unscrewing" when turning the part around the post. The nylon would never snap, and the threads and epoxy should prevent twisting and pulling from the base. Voila! Would welcome other (or better) ideas."
LMKWYT

[fenrir72]

I broke the barrel on mine on the first transformation attempt. I was twisting the barrel to straighten it out and I noticed it was loose. I twisted it back to try and figure out what was wrong with it and because it was already loose, I ended up over twisting it and it fell right off. Anybody have an issue with a broken barrel with a successful fix? I thought maybe I could just glue it back on but it seems that you can't put the barrel in robot mode in a way that looks correct in gun mode without having to twist it. I think that it's probably unfixable but I thought I'd ask.

I take it back. I've got something but this would require a bit off waiting.

There's gonna be a release of so called "over runs" of MP-36 more or less. You know, the items that don't meet the QC standards of the mass release yet sold with weird box fonts or no box at all.

If they are released, you could like disassemble (if possible) the broken part and use the over run parts as a replacement.

KOsProduction over runs do have a purpose after all

[SpaceKaseJase]

I broke the barrel on mine on the first transformation attempt. I was twisting the barrel to straighten it out and I noticed it was loose. I twisted it back to try and figure out what was wrong with it and because it was already loose, I ended up over twisting it and it fell right off. Anybody have an issue with a broken barrel with a successful fix? I thought maybe I could just glue it back on but it seems that you can't put the barrel in robot mode in a way that looks correct in gun mode without having to twist it. I think that it's probably unfixable but I thought I'd ask.

I take it back. I've got something but this would require a bit off waiting.

There's gonna be a release of so called "over runs" of MP-36 more or less. You know, the items that don't meet the QC standards of the mass release yet sold with weird box fonts or no box at all.

If they are released, you could like disassemble (if possible) the broken part and use the over run parts as a replacement.

KOsProduction over runs do have a purpose after all

Never heard of this. Can you give an example or send a link to "over runs" of other MPs? Not questioning your integrity, but I respectfully call BS on the concept. Would love to be proven wrong.