The Energon Pub

Hi all,

I am curious if the paint improves on 2nd run models. Considering picking up a couple masterpiece models but have seen reviews where the paintjobs just aren't done very well at all. Both color inconsistencies between different parts and actual defects in the paint application. Are they any better on the 2nd run or is that typically just as likely to have such issues?

Thanks.

More likely consistent for the TT versions. For the Hasbro, reports are the MP Grimlock2nd pressing has a slighlty more transluscent ABS PVC materials.

jay5 wrote:Hi all,

I am curious if the paint improves on 2nd run models. Considering picking up a couple masterpiece models but have seen reviews where the paintjobs just aren't done very well at all. Both color inconsistencies between different parts and actual defects in the paint application. Are they any better on the 2nd run or is that typically just as likely to have such issues?

Thanks.

I just received a second-run Soundwave last week, and if that figure is an improvement then I'd hate to see what the first run looked like. He has several points where he got hit with an unwanted paint brush - including gold paint stuck in the corner of his chest window and an ugly white brush stroke across the blue part of his leg. Additionally, there are several unsightly blemishes in the blue plastic, as if it'd been snapped off from a larger piece during production. Definitely not the quality I would expect from a figure which costs $179 on the cheap and carries the moniker "Masterpiece".

On the bright side, given Takara Tomy's sloppiness, I no longer feel any guilt in picking up a few KO Autobots.

Oh no! That's disappointing to hear. I have one of those on its way to me right now, actually. =\

Spanbauer wrote:

jay5 wrote:Hi all,

I am curious if the paint improves on 2nd run models. Considering picking up a couple masterpiece models but have seen reviews where the paintjobs just aren't done very well at all. Both color inconsistencies between different parts and actual defects in the paint application. Are they any better on the 2nd run or is that typically just as likely to have such issues?

Thanks.

I just received a second-run Soundwave last week, and if that figure is an improvement then I'd hate to see what the first run looked like. He has several points where he got hit with an unwanted paint brush - including gold paint stuck in the corner of his chest window and an ugly white brush stroke across the blue part of his leg. Additionally, there are several unsightly blemishes in the blue plastic, as if it'd been snapped off from a larger piece during production. Definitely not the quality I would expect from a figure which costs $179 on the cheap and carries the moniker "Masterpiece".

On the bright side, given Takara Tomy's sloppiness, I no longer feel any guilt in picking up a few KO Autobots.

By your statement, I get its the MP Tomy version? From what I heard, some 1st run MP SW didn't have the paint app on his head crest (including mine). Does your SW have the paint app?

fenrir72 wrote:

Spanbauer wrote:

jay5 wrote:Hi all,

I am curious if the paint improves on 2nd run models. Considering picking up a couple masterpiece models but have seen reviews where the paintjobs just aren't done very well at all. Both color inconsistencies between different parts and actual defects in the paint application. Are they any better on the 2nd run or is that typically just as likely to have such issues?

Thanks.

I just received a second-run Soundwave last week, and if that figure is an improvement then I'd hate to see what the first run looked like. He has several points where he got hit with an unwanted paint brush - including gold paint stuck in the corner of his chest window and an ugly white brush stroke across the blue part of his leg. Additionally, there are several unsightly blemishes in the blue plastic, as if it'd been snapped off from a larger piece during production. Definitely not the quality I would expect from a figure which costs $179 on the cheap and carries the moniker "Masterpiece".

On the bright side, given Takara Tomy's sloppiness, I no longer feel any guilt in picking up a few KO Autobots.

By your statement, I get its the MP Tomy version? From what I heard, some 1st run MP SW didn't have the paint app on his head crest (including mine). Does your SW have the paint app?

Yeah, Takara Tomy Soundwave. Here's a pic I took of mine; am I missing any paint apps on the head?

I'll get to you later as the PC I'm using right now isn't registering your sample image. SW is supposed to have that tiny upside down triangle paint app on his crest/forehead.

fenrir72 wrote:I'll get to you later as the PC I'm using right now isn't registering your sample image. SW is supposed to have that tiny upside down triangle paint app on his crest/forehead.

SPOILER ALERT!

It's there.

I love my Hasbro release of MP Soundwave, though I do wish they had kept his optics red instead of going for toy accurate yellow. The Hasbro cassettes, I feel, have better paint and plastic colors as far as cartoon model fidelity.

Wolfman Jake wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:I'll get to you later as the PC I'm using right now isn't registering your sample image. SW is supposed to have that tiny upside down triangle paint app on his crest/forehead.

SPOILER ALERT!

It's there.

I love my Hasbro release of MP Soundwave, though I do wish they had kept his optics red instead of going for toy accurate yellow. The Hasbro cassettes, I feel, have better paint and plastic colors as far as cartoon model fidelity.

I has to ad a silver decal on my TT MP SW's crest.

fenrir72 wrote: I has to ad a silver decal on my TT MP SW's crest.

Silver paint Sharpies are your friend.

Wolfman Jake wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:I'll get to you later as the PC I'm using right now isn't registering your sample image. SW is supposed to have that tiny upside down triangle paint app on his crest/forehead.

SPOILER ALERT!

It's there.

I love my Hasbro release of MP Soundwave, though I do wish they had kept his optics red instead of going for toy accurate yellow. The Hasbro cassettes, I feel, have better paint and plastic colors as far as cartoon model fidelity.

Yeah I do like the red optics and am happy I went with the Takara Tomy version. I originally wanted all the tapes but after learning what the Hasbro Toys R Us exclusive goes for these days, I decided I can live with just Laserbeak

Spanbauer wrote:Yeah I do like the red optics and am happy I went with the Takara Tomy version. I originally wanted all the tapes but after learning what the Hasbro Toys R Us exclusive goes for these days, I decided I can live with just Laserbeak

How do the prices compare for the Takara Tomy two-packs of the other cassettes? That's another perfectly viable option for you. The colors aren't THAT different from the Hasbro versions, plus Rumble and Frenzy come with nice shiny chrome silver and gold accents if you like that sort of thing.

Wolfman Jake wrote:

Spanbauer wrote:Yeah I do like the red optics and am happy I went with the Takara Tomy version. I originally wanted all the tapes but after learning what the Hasbro Toys R Us exclusive goes for these days, I decided I can live with just Laserbeak

How do the prices compare for the Takara Tomy two-packs of the other cassettes? That's another perfectly viable option for you. The colors aren't THAT different from the Hasbro versions, plus Rumble and Frenzy come with nice shiny chrome silver and gold accents if you like that sort of thing.

It would cost a whopping $120 to get the 4 additional Takara Tomy tapes - that was the original full retail price of the Hasbro Toys R Us exclusive with Soundwave and all 5 tapes! Those little guys are most certainly not worthy of costing $30/piece.

Now a guy could get all 4 tapes in KO format for about $42, but I really only want Ravage and Rumble (the blue one); unfortunately, they are sold in 2-packs - the other in each pack of course being the one you don't want (Buzzsaw and Frenzy).

So I'm fine with just having Laserbeak