The Masterpiece Thread

[Crow T Decepticon]

Your mileage may vary.

 

It can't hurt to contact them and try, especially if you're still within the 14 day window. They might go easier on you if you let them know you'll be preordering the re-release from them. If they say no, well, you've still got your Sideswipe. That extra label slapped onto the box has me curious. If it's truly Chinese, it could be from a distributor in that country or Taiwan. I've got a couple of Revoltechs with extra stickers on the box from the US company which officially distributed them here.

[Starscream49]

I'd just suck it up and keep it.

[Devilbat]

Yeah, that's where I'm leaning...it may be worth the extra eighty bucks to not have to go through the trouble of sending it back and possibly make them mad again. I really like buying from them, and I'd like to maintain a good business relationship with them. But now bigbadtoystore.com also occaisionally offers collector-grade packaging from time to time, and their prices are good too. I've done business with them for several years now, and I've always been happy with their service also.

[FUGAYZIE]

BTW...do you guys think I should try to return my MP Sideswipe so I can get it cheaper later, or just suck it up and keep it? It's still sealed in mostly mint packaging.

Where'd you get it?

 

I got it at TFsource.com. They're usually pretty easy to work with when it comes to customer service.

 

I would just keep it you got to pay the shipping costs back to them I am sure so sounds like more trouble than its worth also kind of scamish sorry ...

 

Well, now that you mention that, I was kinda irritated about the whole deal...they were sold out for quite some time, then at odd times Sideswipe would suddenly be back in stock, only to sell out again very quickly. So about three weeks ago I caught him back in stock and jumped on it, although it was more expensive. The on-site explanation was that they had receieved a small restock from a different supplier at a higher price, which they passed-on to the buyer. Seeing how expensive Sideswipe had gotten on the secondary market, I felt like at the time it was a fairly reasonable price, by comparison, especially since they offered mint packaging. Then, lo and behold, all of a suddent there's gonna be a second production run at their regular lower price?! Crap!!

 

Now I usually love TFsource. When they say their packaging is mint, it's absolutely mint. But the last couple of times I've dealt with them, there have been issues. The Sideswipe I receieved was not in the kind of condition I have come to expect from TFsource. They wrap their mint packaging in cellophane, which I think is a really nice touch if your a MOMC/MIMSB collector. But this Sideswipe I have has some white scuffs on the box, and there's a small corner crease where the corner of the box folds. It's really minor I know, but I get kinda irritated when I pay premium prices for mint packaging, when in actuality at best the packaging is in C-9 condition. But maybe I'm just way too picky...

 

But something else has me concerned; my Sideswipe box also has this huge white label with Japanese (Chinese?) text that covers roughly half of the back of the box, and I don't know how hard it would be to remove.

 

I'm just kinda aggravated with the whole deal, and I'm afraid they'll give me grief if I try to send it back. For example, when I had sent my Soundblaster back to them for an exchange, they sent me a pretty terse e-mail reminding me of their disclaimer on what exactly "Mint Box" condition means and how the Soundblaster's box met their terms for mint condition packaging. It wasn't exactly hateful, but it wasn't warm and fuzzy, either. I had tried to be diplomatic, because it truly did look like the mail carrier had damaged the shipping box, thereby causing the creasing I had found on Soundblaster's box. They didn't seem to address that at all. It was like they were irritated at me for being so picky. Now, in their defense, I had returned a Powermaster Prime before that, because it wasn't mint either. But they had offered it in mint packaging back when they were first up for preorder. Then the shipment was delayed for what seemed like forever, then when they actually arrived, they were not mint, Now to be perfectly fair, I don't remember if they adjusted the price to reflect the packaging condition. And they did offer me an exchange or refund with no fuss. As for the Soundblaster, they offered me an exchange or refund for it as well, but I got the distinct impression they weren't happy with me, so I decided to apologize and not be so picky in the future.

 

But to get back to the Sideswipe issue, it just seems like bad price-gouging when a business seems to take advantage of supply and demand like the secondary market does. I think they have a fourteen-day period where you can return sealed items...I was thinking maybe of sending my Sideswipe back and just maybe asking for store credit to preorder a second-run Sideswipe. But maybe you're right synch. Perhaps it wouldn't be worth the trouble. It's just that I'm on a budget these days, and I like to maximize my funds, especially when it comes to expensive Transformers. I could afford a whole other Masterpiece figure if I could get a refund.

that sticker and less than mint condition you found may not be from TFS. it was probably by their secondary vendor they got their "limited stock" from.

 

i would just keep it.

[mike33]

MP soundwave isnt found on tru's website now........................ why?

[Nguyen_Dragon]

MP soundwave isnt found on tru's website now........................ why?

 

It be back up on the 18th... I would just be ready to check every 30 minutes...

[mike33]

MP soundwave isnt found on tru's website now........................ why?

 

It be back up on the 18th... I would just be ready to check every 30 minutes...

 

i have it bookmarked.

havin the G/F check for me since i have to work 5am-to 4pm.

^^^ like she has anything better to do!

[mike33]

MP soundwave isnt found on tru's website now........................ why?

 

It be back up on the 18th... I would just be ready to check every 30 minutes...

[Nguyen_Dragon]

MP soundwave isnt found on tru's website now........................ why?

 

It be back up on the 18th... I would just be ready to check every 30 minutes...

 

i have it bookmarked.

havin the G/F check for me since i have to work 5am-to 4pm.

^^^ like she has anything better to do!

 

My sister is checking for me in case I get called into a meeting, etc....

[Crow T Decepticon]

According to TFormers, Acid Storm and possibly Soundwave were (accidentally?) available to order on TRU's official Ebay account earlier today. May have something to do with why they can't be viewed on the site at the moment.

[synch]

MP soundwave isnt found on tru's website now........................ why?

 

It be back up on the 18th... I would just be ready to check every 30 minutes...

 

i have it bookmarked.

havin the G/F check for me since i have to work 5am-to 4pm.

^^^ like she has anything better to do!

best hope she has better things to do than read your posts online

[mike33]

why so? she would laugh knowing i was laughing when i typed it

 

prolly should of thrown in a "lol" for the others

[Wheeljack35]

I will have to check the stores so I can put Soundwave on layaway

[Devilbat]

Well, I got a wild hair today and actually opened my Sideswipe. I hardly ever open my Transformers, so to open a Masterpiece figure was quite exciting for me. I don't want to bore you guys with pics and yet another review. I just thought I'd share my experience considering how much I've agonized over keeping this figure:

 

First of all, I decided I'd try removing the label I was telling you all about on the back of the box, in a last-ditch effort to keep this figure mint-in-almost-mint-sealed-box, and it didn't work out very well for me. I couldn't remove it without damaging the box, so I just had one of those "what-the-heck" moments and decided to just open the dang thing and actually check-out one of my figures in-hand for a change. The only other Masterpiece figure I ever opened was a Masterpiece Megatron I had several years ago, but even then I didn't remove it from its plastic tray, and then I sold it not long afterwards. So this was a pretty big deal for me. (lol)

 

Anyway...I was curious to see if my Sideswipe had any of the paint issues that I keep reading about online and seeing in so many reviews and message boards. Not only did it have a bad spot of paint on the right window panel, it has probably the worst paint app I could have expected. (lol) I mean guys, it literally looks like someone simply swiped it once with a half-dry brush with sloppy red paint and called it good. It's so bad it's almost comical. You can even see the plastic underneath the paint swipe that should have been completely covered in red. I would see people complaining about the paint, and I'd think to myself, "Whatever...these guys are just being super-anal, much more picky than even I usually am. It can't be that bad." Let me just say I'm sorry for assuming that. They're not just being picky. It's bad. The only thing that makes it tolerable for me is the fact that I'll probably always display Sideswipe in his robot mode anyway, so I guess it's not a huge deal, especially considering it seems to be such a common problem. I was just hoping mine would be one of the few exceptions I've read about...

 

Now for the positives. I was immediately impressed with how solid this figure felt in-hand, even in car mode. I had read many reviews and comments where others had the same impression. He's also a little bit bigger than I was expecting. I have seen so many comparison pics where people have been comparing this figure's size with the original vintage Sideswipe and other assorted figures, so I was expecting him to be quite small. But he's not as small as I thought he might be. Also, his transformation is quite simple, although I'm not so sure I have his lower legs right. And his weapons are very nicely detailed as well.

 

Despite the paint issues, this figure looks and feels great in-hand. If you can live with the paint issues, like me, surprisingly enough (it just goes against everything I have stood for concerning collectibles over the years, and I can't belive I'm okay with it) (lol), then I highly recommend this figure if your a G1 Transformers fan, or more specifically, a fan of the character. It truly makes me more excited about the others that are getting ready to come out. It also makes me wish Takara/Tomy would redo a new Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in this new smaller scale.

[khamla]

Well, I got a wild hair today and actually opened my Sideswipe. I hardly ever open my Transformers, so to open a Masterpiece figure was quite exciting for me. I don't want to bore you guys with pics and yet another review. I just thought I'd share my experience considering how much I've agonized over keeping this figure:

 

First of all, I decided I'd try removing the label I was telling you all about on the back of the box, in a last-ditch effort to keep this figure mint-in-almost-mint-sealed-box, and it didn't work out very well for me. I couldn't remove it without damaging the box, so I just had one of those "what-the-heck" moments and decided to just open the dang thing and actually check-out one of my figures in-hand for a change. The only other Masterpiece figure I ever opened was a Masterpiece Megatron I had several years ago, but even then I didn't remove it from its plastic tray, and then I sold it not long afterwards. So this was a pretty big deal for me. (lol)

 

Anyway...I was curious to see if my Sideswipe had any of the paint issues that I keep reading about online and seeing in so many reviews and message boards. Not only did it have a bad spot of paint on the right window panel, it has probably the worst paint app I could have expected. (lol) I mean guys, it literally looks like someone simply swiped it once with a half-dry brush with sloppy red paint and called it good. It's so bad it's almost comical. You can even see the plastic underneath the paint swipe that should have been completely covered in red. I would see people complaining about the paint, and I'd think to myself, "Whatever...these guys are just being super-anal, much more picky than even I usually am. It can't be that bad." Let me just say I'm sorry for assuming that. They're not just being picky. It's bad. The only thing that makes it tolerable for me is the fact that I'll probably always display Sideswipe in his robot mode anyway, so I guess it's not a huge deal, especially considering it seems to be such a common problem. I was just hoping mine would be one of the few exceptions I've read about...

 

Now for the positives. I was immediately impressed with how solid this figure felt in-hand, even in car mode. I had read many reviews and comments where others had the same impression. He's also a little bit bigger than I was expecting. I have seen so many comparison pics where people have been comparing this figure's size with the original vintage Sideswipe and other assorted figures, so I was expecting him to be quite small. But he's not as small as I thought he might be. Also, his transformation is quite simple, although I'm not so sure I have his lower legs right. And his weapons are very nicely detailed as well.

 

Despite the paint issues, this figure looks and feels great in-hand. If you can live with the paint issues, like me, surprisingly enough (it just goes against everything I have stood for concerning collectibles over the years, and I can't belive I'm okay with it) (lol), then I highly recommend this figure if your a G1 Transformers fan, or more specifically, a fan of the character. It truly makes me more excited about the others that are getting ready to come out. It also makes me wish Takara/Tomy would redo a new Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in this new smaller scale.

 

God no, redoing Hot Rod in that small scale would P/O everybody or most people. Now if it were something else on another series i'm all for Hot Rod mini MP, but not for masterpiece in general. All the transformers are in scale btw, that's how big they are in compared to Prime etc. The only one not really in scale in this new series is Grimlock, he's actually a lot taller than everybody else.

[Devilbat]

From what I can tell, Masterpiece Hot Rod is about the same size as the newer Optimus Prime mold, which makes him quite a bit bigger than MP Sideswipe. In the animated movie Hot Rod seemed to be the same size as all of the other "regular" Autobots, like Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, etc. Yes, Rodimus Prime should be about as big as Optimus, and in turn bigger than everyone else, but not Hot Rod, right?

[khamla]

From what I can tell, Masterpiece Hot Rod is about the same size as the newer Optimus Prime mold, which makes him quite a bit bigger than MP Sideswipe. In the animated movie Hot Rod seemed to be the same size as all of the other "regular" Autobots, like Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, etc. Yes, Rodimus Prime should be about as big as Optimus, and in turn bigger than everyone else, but not Hot Rod, right?

Yeah he's definitely smaller than rodimus. I know they had the option to shift his legs a bit to make him smaller. I know G1 is so inconsistent in the cartoons with his size but I would "think" he be about Starscreams size or Iron Hide? From a toy engineering perspective it be impossible to make sideswipe size turn into Rodimus.

 

I'm sure there's pictures of hot rod really small and then really tall too. I'm not sure which one is correct.

[Wheeljack35]

I have Rodimus and you can shorten him somewhat back into Hot Rod

[Devilbat]

Well, to be honest, a consistent scale with all of the robot modes is a nice thought, and I like the notion, but they do have to consider the varying scales of all of the vehicles of course. I guess that's all that should matter, and it would make more sense for the vehicle modes to be more in scale with one another than the robot modes. I suppose I just assumed Hot Rod's car mode would have been much bigger than Sideswipe's, but I wouldn't know...my Hot Rod's still MISB, so I can't compare the two. That is, unless I completely lose my mind and open my Hot Rod. Hmm... (lol)

[Crow T Decepticon]

I'm not a MISBer, but even I am hesitant to open Hot Rod. He's got that exploding shoulders issue that some people have experienced.

[khamla]

Here we go this helps, attached.

 

It looks like Hot Rod is about to Prime's chest. It also looks like most of the original Pre Movie autobots are about to Prime's Waist. Iron Hide and a few others are a bit taller than most of the autobots so the scales are pretty accurate. Dinobots are huge.

[Devilbat]

Wow...that's awesome khamla, thanks! Where'd you get that from? Is that from some production material for the animated movie or something?

[khamla]

I just googled it

[synch]

I been happy with the mp sizes so far I dunno what people are complaining about ... & yes dinobots should be HUGE they are dinobots after all ... those saying grimlock is too big are crazy!

[jedimaster-c]

This as been perplexing me. Who the heck is Acid Storm. The only time I heard of this guy was back during the ROTF stuff. Where did he come from? What part of the TF universe?