Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review

Sunday, April 9th, 2017 10:10PM CDT

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With all the differing opinions on the new Masterpiece Megatron ranging from a perfection to yet another waste of plastic and sliver of die-cast, along with the concern for breakage and paint chipping, it certainly can prove difficult for someone to actually make up their minds about buying Megatron now that is his widely in stock and shipping. Well, we bring to you today a Seibertronian review of MP-36 Megatron, written by our own Ironhidensh, that may be able to help some of you figure that out once and for all.

Now for those of you who may know, Ironhidensh has not been a big fan of the figure based on pictures and reviews and reports, but still ended up one as a gift. And based on his review, it seems it became the gift that has kept on giving. Read up below as Ironhidensh takes us through is experiences with the mold and shares with us his thoughts on the complaints of paint chipping, parts count, and breakage issues.

Was this review that made you say "I would have waited an eternity for this!" or did it only help convince you that this figure is nothing more than heroic nonsense? Check out the review, and let us know if this help sway your mind in an way!

Ironhidensh wrote:Okay, so as promised, whether you want them or not, here are my thoughts on MP-36 Megatron, enjoy! Also, I will be comparing 36 very heavily to Maketoys Despotron, my current Masterpiece style Megatron. A word of transparency before we go further. Up until getting 36 in hand, I have not been a huge fan, and have in fact been a fairly vocal critic. That said, I still feel I can be pretty objective in this. While I might like other figures better, I can step back, and still see what is good in the figure at hand. Remember as well, liking one thing more, doesn’t make the other thing bad.

Also, I can admit when I’m wrong.

Mistake me not, 36 has his flaws, and we will talk about them, but I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t really starting to like this figure. He was a gift, so I’m stuck with him either way, but he is slowly winning me over. I still love Despotron, but 36 is no slouch. So, lets get to it, shall we?

Lets go over the two glaring issues that keep cropping up first: paint chips and breakage. As I said in an above post, the paint chipping is bad. Like, really bad. I am hereby listing it as the number one flaw on this toy. Out of the box, he had a nick on his leg, and a couple around the left shoulder inner workings. Just posing him in a couple of different poses, he acquired a couple more. Once I got around to transforming him, well, yeah. I’m no newb to transformers. I understand that some paint chipping will occur. Over time. After many transformations. This is happening, literally, out of the box. There is no way around it, if you buy this figure, and take him out of package, you will get paint chips. Anyone who says different is either straight up lying, or simply refusing to see it.

As for breakage, I’m going to drop all cases of that on user error. I’ve gone through the transformation several times now, and not one case of breakage. No, its not as sturdy as a mainline figure, but its no piece of glass either. Yes, many parts are small, but as long as you take it easy, you can avoid breaking parts. Speaking of the transformation itself, it is NOT as bad as has been made out. Sure, its involved, but I’ve already got it down. Use the instructions the first time, or at least watch one of the many youtube videos, and you will be fine. I didn’t even need to do that hip adjustment thing.

Now, on that note, I did have one issue that needed some “modification”. The part that his gun barrel folds down on had some raised ridges molded on. I assume it is too provide friction to help hold the barrel in place. These ridges stuck out too far and completely prevented the movement of the barrel. I had to take an knife and shave them down a bit.

Other than that, I have had zero issues with breakage, and I caught that before breakage occurred. His joints are all nice and tight, but not too tight. The ratchets feel just right. He can really hold some dynamic poses.

So, on to some fun stuff. Any review has to have some box pictures. Being a starndard Takara Masterpiece, the box is nothing that we haven’t seen before.

He looks good with other bots.

36 does one thing very well, one thing I don’t think any other version of Megatron has captured quite so well: his lower chest.

Sadly, this picture also shows one of his flaws, the infamous “robovagina”. The waist piece is functional, but just not pretty. That chest though, it is amazing, and one of my favorite parts of this figure.

As far as accessories go, 36 comes with many. This is one of the areas Despotron fails in, he came with only a couple of faces and the energy mace. The accessories have already been touched on many times by others, so I’ll just talk about my favorites: the optional faces. First pic are what comes with 36, second pic are what comes with Despotron.

Personally, Despotron offers the best facial expression with his laughing face, but the ones offered by Takara are great as well. I really love this gimmick. It’s a great and simple way to bring a little fun and variety to your collection display. I’m also a huge fan of the laser sword that 36 comes with. I must also mention that the energy mace on 36 not only comes with a standard chain, but a posable one as well. You can really create some dynamic battle scenes with that. I kinda wish I had taken some pics like that. Maybe next time.

Another thing that must be mentioned is the “mass shifting” this figure does. Obviously, I don’t mean it can shrink, but it does do an incredible job of taking a rather large robot and shrinking it to a not to far off from real life pistol. Seriously, Takara did an amazing job at compacting parts, and then expanding them out again. I made a lot of noise about how many panel lines 36 had, and how messy his back is, but once you’ve transformed him, you get it. It takes a lot of moving parts to do what they did. It still might be a little too much, but respect where respect is due.

The next few pictures will be side by side comparison of 36 and Despotron. I’ve chosen Despotron for the comparison, because obviously, I have him. I also had X-Transbots Apollyon, but sold him for Despotron. Apollyon was a great figure, but I feel 36 is a better toy. We will talk more after.

As you can see, while 36 is of a very similar size to Despotron, he transforms into a smaller gun. I find that impressive, but not necessary. 36 could do with a bit of a similar transformation. Despotron is challenging, but doesn’t take to terribly long. 36 is gonna take you a few minutes. Then again, it isn’t the way too simple transformation that severely hurt MP Shockwave and MP Inferno, so you take what you can. 36 does leave you feeling satisfied when you are done, so we will go on and count it as a win.

Despotron takes a more comic (specifically Dreamwave era) inspired look, while 36 really nails the cartoon look. This is a negative for me, but that is a matter of personal taste. Also, it could be worse. Inferno just looks silly in its cartoon accuracy, while 36 still looks badass. He looks like a Masterpiece.

In closing, while 36 is growing on me greatly, and may end up replacing Despotron (I’m not ready to let go yet, but its hard to justify having two MP style Megatrons), he has one nagging issue that simply cannot be let go of: the paint chipping. Some people maybe able to look past this, but folks, on a $200 toy, this is simply not acceptable. There is no excuse, and is a huge fail on the part of Takara. I won’t say don’t get this figure because of it, but buyer beware. Like I said earlier, if you take 36 out of the clamshell, you WILL have paint chips.

Something else on 36 that I really enjoy is his fusion cannon. The barrel is adjustable for cannon and scope modes. Its a small thing that really stands out as that extra little bit that we should expect from a Masterpiece toy. Very nifty.

This went on for a bit, sorry for that, but I hope some of you enjoy it. Let us end in true Ironhidensh tradition, with a dash pic.

Credit(s): Ironhidensh @Seibertron

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Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873271)
Posted by Rated X on April 10th, 2017 @ 12:22am CDT

Hmmmm....

Im tempted to pull the trigger. But the nitpicker in me is waiting to see if Takara addresses any of the flaws officially in a statement. I would love to see a reissue in grey plastic like Hegemon and no paint which would mean no chipping. My only concern is that a reissue might not include the silencer and the stock. Those are a must have for me. I could care less about the other accessories if it brought the price down about 25 bucks. So im just gonna patiently wait and see what comes out the press throughout April and make a decision by May. Great review by the way. I only wish you had used red to mark the part of the barrel you modified because without the toy in hand most people wont have a clue what too look for in that picture. The one question I have is about the transformation. If I can handle the MP seeker mold, will MP-36 stress me out? Or is it on about the same level of complexity? Im not a fan of complex transformations. Ive never even fully transformed Hegemon. All those damn pannels on the legs/gun handle got me like screw this s**t let me just leave him in robot mode. Should I expect the same from MP-36? Or even worse? Is it another ROTF Leader Prime?

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873273)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 10th, 2017 @ 12:35am CDT

Rated X wrote:Hmmmm....

Im tempted to pull the trigger. But the nitpicker in me is waiting to see if Takara addresses any of the flaws officially in a statement. I would love to see a reissue in grey plastic like Hegemon and no paint which would mean no chipping. My only concern is that a reissue might not include the silencer and the stock. Those are a must have for me. I could care less about the other accessories if it brought the price down about 25 bucks. So im just gonna patiently wait and see what comes out the press throughout April and make a decision by May. Great review by the way. I only wish you had used red to mark the part of the barrel you modified because without the toy in hand most people wont have a clue what too look for in that picture. The one question I have is about the transformation. If I can handle the MP seeker mold, will MP-36 stress me out? Or is it on about the same level of complexity? Im not a fan of complex transformations. Ive never even fully transformed Hegemon. All those damn pannels on the legs/gun handle got me like screw this s**t let me just leave him in robot mode. Should I expect the same from MP-36? Or even worse? Is it another ROTF Leader Prime?

That would be Megaplex (possible blue inner shins) and trans Metals Megatron (in black). As for Takara admitting direct fault? Don't hold your breathe.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873276)
Posted by Rated X on April 10th, 2017 @ 1:01am CDT

fenrir72 wrote:
Rated X wrote:Hmmmm....

Im tempted to pull the trigger. But the nitpicker in me is waiting to see if Takara addresses any of the flaws officially in a statement. I would love to see a reissue in grey plastic like Hegemon and no paint which would mean no chipping. My only concern is that a reissue might not include the silencer and the stock. Those are a must have for me. I could care less about the other accessories if it brought the price down about 25 bucks. So im just gonna patiently wait and see what comes out the press throughout April and make a decision by May. Great review by the way. I only wish you had used red to mark the part of the barrel you modified because without the toy in hand most people wont have a clue what too look for in that picture. The one question I have is about the transformation. If I can handle the MP seeker mold, will MP-36 stress me out? Or is it on about the same level of complexity? Im not a fan of complex transformations. Ive never even fully transformed Hegemon. All those damn pannels on the legs/gun handle got me like screw this s**t let me just leave him in robot mode. Should I expect the same from MP-36? Or even worse? Is it another ROTF Leader Prime?

That would be Megaplex (possible blue inner shins) and trans Metals Megatron (in black). As for Takara admitting direct fault? Don't hold your breathe.

Remember not too long ago MP Ramjet got a fix for defective parts from Takara? They sent all the online retailers the parts to ship out to people who bought him and fix the rest of the leftover stock. Mine came opened and fixed by tfsource because I bought him late in the game. I could see Takara sending out parts baggies with revised parts down the line. And as many reissues as MP-10 has gotten I think its safe to say MP-36 should get a couple reissues including the inevitable Brown King diaclone repaint. Theyre gonna milk that mold to death like MP-10 and if any QC issues stand in the way of success I believe they will make revisions in future reissues. If the chipping paint was the biggest issue best believe MP-36-B will feature a non painted gun metal plastic described as being "comic accurate" or "battle version" or some other stupid title to introduce a non painted version without admitting the paint on the original sucked. Im calling it. Thats just my opinion of course based on previous MP releases by Takara.With all the money and effort they put into. MP-36, theyre gonna shove that mold down our throats until everyone owns at least one version.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873278)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 10th, 2017 @ 1:32am CDT

Rated X wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
Rated X wrote:Hmmmm....

Im tempted to pull the trigger. But the nitpicker in me is waiting to see if Takara addresses any of the flaws officially in a statement. I would love to see a reissue in grey plastic like Hegemon and no paint which would mean no chipping. My only concern is that a reissue might not include the silencer and the stock. Those are a must have for me. I could care less about the other accessories if it brought the price down about 25 bucks. So im just gonna patiently wait and see what comes out the press throughout April and make a decision by May. Great review by the way. I only wish you had used red to mark the part of the barrel you modified because without the toy in hand most people wont have a clue what too look for in that picture. The one question I have is about the transformation. If I can handle the MP seeker mold, will MP-36 stress me out? Or is it on about the same level of complexity? Im not a fan of complex transformations. Ive never even fully transformed Hegemon. All those damn pannels on the legs/gun handle got me like screw this s**t let me just leave him in robot mode. Should I expect the same from MP-36? Or even worse? Is it another ROTF Leader Prime?

That would be Megaplex (possible blue inner shins) and trans Metals Megatron (in black). As for Takara admitting direct fault? Don't hold your breathe.

Remember not too long ago MP Ramjet got a fix for defective parts from Takara? They sent all the online retailers the parts to ship out to people who bought him and fix the rest of the leftover stock. Mine came opened and fixed by tfsource because I bought him late in the game. I could see Takara sending out parts baggies with revised parts down the line. And as many reissues as MP-10 has gotten I think its safe to say MP-36 should get a couple reissues including the inevitable Brown King diaclone repaint. Theyre gonna milk that mold to death like MP-10 and if any QC issues stand in the way of success I believe they will make revisions in future reissues. If the chipping paint was the biggest issue best believe MP-36-B will feature a non painted gun metal plastic described as being "comic accurate" or "battle version" or some other stupid title to introduce a non painted version without admitting the paint on the original sucked. Im calling it. Thats just my opinion of course based on previous MP releases by Takara.With all the money and effort they put into. MP-36, theyre gonna shove that mold down our throats until everyone owns at least one version.

Depends. From the noise produced post release, most breakages seem to be from mishandling. The thick plastic on the extensions is more of the design. I doubt Takara will release a replacement part for that. That would entail readjusting the master mold. Possible ver.2 but again, won't hold out my breathe.

Now, for possible repaints? Maybe. This Megs is waaaaaaaay different from MP-05 which got like 3 versions. But being a bad guy, who knows.........

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873296)
Posted by MightyMagnus78 on April 10th, 2017 @ 4:12am CDT

Ironhidensh wrote:Now, on that note, I did have one issue that needed some “modification”. The part that his gun barrel folds down on had some raised ridges molded on. I assume it is too provide friction to help hold the barrel in place. These ridges stuck out too far and completely prevented the movement of the barrel. I had to take an knife and shave them down a bit.

[url=HTTP://SMG.PHOTOBUCKET.COM/USER/IRONHIDENSH/MEDIA/20170409_165250.JPG.HTML][/url

Sorry Ironhidensh. As I don't have Meg's in-hand yet, could you please indicate which pieces you needed to modify in the picture above. Thanks.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873395)
Posted by Ironhidensh on April 10th, 2017 @ 11:14am CDT

Hopefully this picture points it out better. Please ask with any questions.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873412)
Posted by Logan. on April 10th, 2017 @ 12:55pm CDT

My gallery for you

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873517)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 10th, 2017 @ 6:42pm CDT

Straight from the horses mouth. As IHD admitted, once you have the actual item in hand, you get to understand why. So for future releases, albeit expensive route or risky to allow it to sell out and cost more on the 2ndary market, reserve judgement on a product.

Ever wonder that some incidences of damage was probably due to the language barrier?

Anyway, whoever the primary engineer on this project was, he deserves a ;)^

out of 5.If he was the guy behind IH and ratchet, then all the more and not surprising.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873523)
Posted by galvatron00 on April 10th, 2017 @ 7:21pm CDT

Great pics Logan, as per usual ;)^

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873571)
Posted by nycPrime on April 10th, 2017 @ 11:20pm CDT

I finally got around to transforming Megs into gun mode. Nothing new to add, but will echo a lot of the comments from others. The gun has too many panels for my liking, but it does look nice. It's cool that the hammer and safety also work. There are some cool transformation steps, such as the legs compressing, but overall it's the biggest pain in the ass transformation. I hate all the times you gotta wiggle a bunch of moving parts in unison to get things to tab well. And because of all the news of paint chipping, I tried to be super careful, which meant it took even longer. Even so, I accidentally chipped the paint in a spot or 2. Nothing too bad, but it is annoying. I'm going to leave it in gun mode for a few days until I can muster the energy to transform him back, and he'll probably be in bot mode semi-permanently.

And maybe I have OCD, but I examined Megs before I attempted the transformation, and did notice a few paint scuffs. This paint issue is definitely a bummer. I think someone here mentioned they used a sharpie to "fix" it. I'm too chicken to do that, but I would love to see the end result.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873582)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 11th, 2017 @ 12:24am CDT

nycPrime wrote:I finally got around to transforming Megs into gun mode. Nothing new to add, but will echo a lot of the comments from others. The gun has too many panels for my liking, but it does look nice. It's cool that the hammer and safety also work. There are some cool transformation steps, such as the legs compressing, but overall it's the biggest pain in the ass transformation. I hate all the times you gotta wiggle a bunch of moving parts in unison to get things to tab well. And because of all the news of paint chipping, I tried to be super careful, which meant it took even longer. Even so, I accidentally chipped the paint in a spot or 2. Nothing too bad, but it is annoying. I'm going to leave it in gun mode for a few days until I can muster the energy to transform him back, and he'll probably be in bot mode semi-permanently.

And maybe I have OCD, but I examined Megs before I attempted the transformation, and did notice a few paint scuffs. This paint issue is definitely a bummer. I think someone here mentioned they used a sharpie to "fix" it. I'm too chicken to do that, but I would love to see the end result.

Don't use a sharpie. Especially of the gray silver parts. It's got solvents and may further damage the default paint site where the chipping happened.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873606)
Posted by Cyberpath on April 11th, 2017 @ 3:01am CDT

@Peaugh

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873621)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 11th, 2017 @ 5:19am CDT

Cyberpath wrote:

@Peaugh

Frank Springer..........

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873647)
Posted by Logan. on April 11th, 2017 @ 8:16am CDT

Thanks Itscramtastic!^^

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873664)
Posted by sol magnus on April 11th, 2017 @ 9:39am CDT

Just got my Megatron. He is intact, with no paint chips left in his clamshell, nor any missing paint I can find on the figure.

He is, in a word "splendid".

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873714)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 11th, 2017 @ 11:42am CDT

sol magnus wrote:Just got my Megatron. He is intact, with no paint chips left in his clamshell, nor any missing paint I can find on the figure.

He is, in a word "splendid".

So most of the previous negativity were broad generalizations then? Surprise surprise :lol:

I wonder why :???:

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873723)
Posted by nycPrime on April 11th, 2017 @ 12:14pm CDT

fenrir72 wrote:
sol magnus wrote:Just got my Megatron. He is intact, with no paint chips left in his clamshell, nor any missing paint I can find on the figure.

He is, in a word "splendid".

So most of the previous negativity were broad generalizations then? Surprise surprise I wonder why

I don't know how prevalent the paint issue is out the box. But based on my personal experience, I imagine it's near impossible to transform the figure and not suffer some scuffs. Too many moving parts that may rub against each other, and a few areas where brute force may be required.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873724)
Posted by sol magnus on April 11th, 2017 @ 12:31pm CDT

nycPrime wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
sol magnus wrote:Just got my Megatron. He is intact, with no paint chips left in his clamshell, nor any missing paint I can find on the figure.

He is, in a word "splendid".

So most of the previous negativity were broad generalizations then? Surprise surprise I wonder why

I don't know how prevalent the paint issue is out the box. But based on my personal experience, I imagine it's near impossible to transform the figure and not suffer some scuffs. Too many moving parts that may rub against each other, and a few areas where brute force may be required.

With the complexity of the transformation, I can totally see that being possible. I won't be transforming mine, however, just playing around in robot mode (as I display my figures in that mode).

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1873912)
Posted by SpikeyTigertron on April 12th, 2017 @ 2:13am CDT

So it took me about 2hrs (at least) the first time to transform him to gun mode. Not nearly as long getting him back to robot; but definitely scarier trying to pop panels off (versus compressing them). I agree with everyone that it'd be near impossible to not get paint scraping.... I do think the instructions could have been clear-er about the shoulder transformation... even with videos I had to rewind a few times.

Some excessive for was required for some very tight pins... and reading the advice about the hips... I'd completely removed the screw... and still had to tug harder than I wanted to dislodge them the first time....

Despite all that I think he might be my new favorite MP... he just oozes character and style.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874145)
Posted by Fox Thiagarajan on April 12th, 2017 @ 8:15pm CDT

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.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874155)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 12th, 2017 @ 8:31pm CDT

Drift082111 wrote: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.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874163)
Posted by Fox Thiagarajan on April 12th, 2017 @ 8:52pm CDT

fenrir72 wrote:
Drift082111 wrote: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.

It doesn't look too long to me as well. Also, I'm a huge fan of cartoon accuracy so even if it was I'd still rate him as a 10. :-D

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874169)
Posted by MrBlack on April 12th, 2017 @ 9:52pm CDT

Finally got around to transforming it.

It's a complex transformation and VERY long, but not particularly hard. I consulted a video review while transforming it to gun mode, to make up for some of the weaker parts of the instructions, but I only glanced at the instructions twice when transforming it back. There are a couple of nerve-wracking parts, but for the most part it isn't bad so long as you're patient. I did have to loosen the screw behind the hips to get them into place properly, but it may not have been necessary. I just didn't want to risk breaking anything.

I did scuff a bit of paint, although it was purely my own fault. The silencer DID scuff some paint on the barrel, so definitely be careful of that.

In sum, it's not nearly as daunting a transformation as I expected. It is complex, and it is long, but none of it is really that hard, and everything pegged in well in gun mode. It's not a figure I'll transform very often, but I think it will get a lot easier over time.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874173)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 12th, 2017 @ 10:34pm CDT

Drift082111 wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
Drift082111 wrote: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.

It doesn't look too long to me as well. Also, I'm a huge fan of cartoon accuracy so even if it was I'd still rate him as a 10.

This!From a bonafide owner.

Envy you as mine is still stock somewhere in Tokyo since April 5,2017.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874178)
Posted by Fox Thiagarajan on April 12th, 2017 @ 11:00pm CDT

fenrir72 wrote:
Drift082111 wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
Drift082111 wrote: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.

It doesn't look too long to me as well. Also, I'm a huge fan of cartoon accuracy so even if it was I'd still rate him as a 10.

This!From a bonafide owner.

Envy you as mine is still stock somewhere in Tokyo since April 5,2017.

That's brutal. Hope you can get a hold of him asap. I'm staring at him as he stands on my desk as I'm holding my second born son. He's 2 months old. Hoping he loves Megatron as much my 3 year od. :-?

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874182)
Posted by SpikeyTigertron on April 12th, 2017 @ 11:24pm CDT

As far as the silencer goes, it did scratch the iron-sight a little bit. I haven't pushed it flush to the gun's chamber due to the rumors of the barrel breaking. I'm not going to lie that I'm nervous of the barrel coming off at some point if one isn't careful. I almost feel it needing to "swivel" was not necessary. I do wish that whole assembly was die cast.

I may look into taking the "inner" barrel-plug clip out of the silencer. I think that was mentioned in either a review video/prior comment.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874184)
Posted by nycPrime on April 12th, 2017 @ 11:29pm CDT

MrBlack wrote:Finally got around to transforming it.

It's a complex transformation and VERY long, but not particularly hard. I consulted a video review while transforming it to gun mode, to make up for some of the weaker parts of the instructions, but I only glanced at the instructions twice when transforming it back. There are a couple of nerve-wracking parts, but for the most part it isn't bad so long as you're patient. I did have to loosen the screw behind the hips to get them into place properly, but it may not have been necessary. I just didn't want to risk breaking anything.

I did scuff a bit of paint, although it was purely my own fault. The silencer DID scuff some paint on the barrel, so definitely be careful of that.

In sum, it's not nearly as daunting a transformation as I expected. It is complex, and it is long, but none of it is really that hard, and everything pegged in well in gun mode. It's not a figure I'll transform very often, but I think it will get a lot easier over time.

I finally transformed him back to bot mode. I agree it's complex but not exactly difficult. I also have some paint scuff marks, but I don't think it's avoidable no matter how careful you are. Luckily it's not too bad and I can live with it. I also got some minor scuff marks b/c of the silencer, and I didn't even shove it in all the way.

Bottom line, the 2 modes are awesome, and it's a really fun figure with all the accessories. But the transformation, which is already not fun at all, is so much worse when you're worried about the delicate paint.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874187)
Posted by SpikeyTigertron on April 13th, 2017 @ 12:32am CDT

for what it's worth, paint scuffing helps make his "final battle" form EVEN MORE ACCURATE! :BOOM:

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874189)
Posted by RustedCross on April 13th, 2017 @ 12:47am CDT

IMG_4075.JPG

Got mine today. Even with the orange plug, he looks awesome.
Transformation was difficult. But having watched it on YouTube, I knew to be careful. I loosened the screw for the legs (which I recommend), and that helped with the hip transformation. The only real problem was the part where you rotate the gun barrel down on the back. I had to slowly apply pressure to get the barrel to get past the ridges. After the initial transformation, it's no longer an issue.

No paint chips here.

This figure is awesome.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874192)
Posted by SpikeyTigertron on April 13th, 2017 @ 1:05am CDT

You make the barrel plug look better than BBTS's picture. (did you get it through them?).

I forgot that Devy is basically MP scale. They all look really good together. ;)^

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874193)
Posted by RustedCross on April 13th, 2017 @ 1:29am CDT

IMG_4076.JPG

Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874199)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 13th, 2017 @ 3:06am CDT

Drift082111 wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
Drift082111 wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
Drift082111 wrote: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.

It doesn't look too long to me as well. Also, I'm a huge fan of cartoon accuracy so even if it was I'd still rate him as a 10.

This!From a bonafide owner.

Envy you as mine is still stock somewhere in Tokyo since April 5,2017.

That's brutal. Hope you can get a hold of him asap. I'm staring at him as he stands on my desk as I'm holding my second born son. He's 2 months old. Hoping he loves Megatron as much my 3 year od.

You wanna risk Megs with your baby? Beware the drool! :lol:

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874200)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 13th, 2017 @ 3:08am CDT

RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4076.JPG
Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

You're not taking out the plug?

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874207)
Posted by SpikeyTigertron on April 13th, 2017 @ 5:22am CDT

fenrir72 wrote:
RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4076.JPG
Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

You're not taking out the plug?

BBTS gets those plugs in really good. I never was able to get mine out of my MP-05. And considering the issues ppl are already having with the gun barrel... I wouldn't chance it... You can't just undo a screw and pull...

on that note... anyone buy from TFSource? Did the plug Meg up?

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874209)
Posted by Ironhidensh on April 13th, 2017 @ 5:33am CDT

SpikeyTigertron wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4076.JPG
Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

You're not taking out the plug?

BBTS gets those plugs in really good. I never was able to get mine out of my MP-05. And considering the issues ppl are already having with the gun barrel... I wouldn't chance it... You can't just undo a screw and pull...

on that note... anyone buy from TFSource? Did the plug Meg up?

Mine came from BBTS and the plug popped right out.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874214)
Posted by Bumblebee21 on April 13th, 2017 @ 7:03am CDT

SpikeyTigertron wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4076.JPG
Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

You're not taking out the plug?

BBTS gets those plugs in really good. I never was able to get mine out of my MP-05. And considering the issues ppl are already having with the gun barrel... I wouldn't chance it... You can't just undo a screw and pull...

on that note... anyone buy from TFSource? Did the plug Meg up?

the plug is easy on the barrel. the one on the silencer, not so much.
bbts is the only retailer that put orange plugs on besides hlj

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874216)
Posted by nycPrime on April 13th, 2017 @ 7:18am CDT

Bumblebee21 wrote:
SpikeyTigertron wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4076.JPG
Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

You're not taking out the plug?

BBTS gets those plugs in really good. I never was able to get mine out of my MP-05. And considering the issues ppl are already having with the gun barrel... I wouldn't chance it... You can't just undo a screw and pull...

on that note... anyone buy from TFSource? Did the plug Meg up?

the plug is easy on the barrel. the one on the silencer, not so much.
bbts is the only retailer that put orange plugs on besides hlj

Ha I was wondering about that. So 2 plugs makes sense. BBTS have those things glued in, huh?

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874221)
Posted by fenrir72 on April 13th, 2017 @ 8:24am CDT

nycPrime wrote:
Bumblebee21 wrote:
SpikeyTigertron wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4076.JPG
Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

You're not taking out the plug?

BBTS gets those plugs in really good. I never was able to get mine out of my MP-05. And considering the issues ppl are already having with the gun barrel... I wouldn't chance it... You can't just undo a screw and pull...

on that note... anyone buy from TFSource? Did the plug Meg up?

the plug is easy on the barrel. the one on the silencer, not so much.
bbts is the only retailer that put orange plugs on besides hlj

Ha I was wondering about that. So 2 plugs makes sense. BBTS have those things glued in, huh?

Even the silencer? :shock:

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874236)
Posted by SpaceKaseJase on April 13th, 2017 @ 10:01am CDT

Bumblebee21 wrote:
SpikeyTigertron wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:
RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4076.JPG
Yep...ordered from BBTS.
Decided to switch faces.
Love that smile.

You're not taking out the plug?

BBTS gets those plugs in really good. I never was able to get mine out of my MP-05. And considering the issues ppl are already having with the gun barrel... I wouldn't chance it... You can't just undo a screw and pull...

on that note... anyone buy from TFSource? Did the plug Meg up?

the plug is easy on the barrel. the one on the silencer, not so much.
bbts is the only retailer that put orange plugs on besides hlj

A-E also puts the plug in on request. Mine's on the way.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874324)
Posted by MadProject on April 13th, 2017 @ 4:19pm CDT

got mine a couple of days ago.
I needed to do a couple of fixes to better enjoy the figure.
Long story short, I had to sand dow a little the ratchet dents on the double hinge that connects the barrel to the back section, because the barrel weren't able to rotate down for the transformation. I read that a couple of people had a similar issue.
Also, I sanded down the inside of the silencer to avoid the paint issue on the barrel.
Right now, it shouldn't have any more problems.

The figure is really solid, and I am really impressed with the transformation, especially the legs are something that you could pass as a magic trick!

In the end, I don't even know how you could define the paint, since it's not exactly plastic color, but it's wrong to define it metalized like on MP Soundwave, or even the CW Leader Megatron. It's something in between, and it's a nice match with the other Decepticon MPs.
I wonder if Takara will release a toy-accurate version of him, with silver paint and red on the inner legs, but considering how they usually do, probably they will.

Cannot wait to have some time to do some pics about him.
That smiling face has really a lot of potential as meme material, like the "water" effect on MP Inferno, and the old-but-gold Revoltech Woody figure, if you know what I mean.

I hope to be able to show you something in the next days. Sadly right now I don't have much free time.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874355)
Posted by nycPrime on April 13th, 2017 @ 7:38pm CDT

SpaceKaseJase wrote:A-E also puts the plug in on request. Mine's on the way.

I sent in a request for the plug when I received notification it was in stock. But then I got impatient and had it shipped. I also paid extra for the EMS shipping. Luckily it arrived with no issues. I probably could've went with the slower shipping. I'm interested in seeing how A-E does the plug.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874370)
Posted by RustedCross on April 13th, 2017 @ 8:38pm CDT

IMG_4078.JPG

I did manage to remove the cap on the barrel. But I'm hanging on to it for later. I have a child that may eventually start playing with this thing. If she does, I'm putting it back in.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874375)
Posted by sol magnus on April 13th, 2017 @ 9:32pm CDT

RustedCross wrote:
IMG_4078.JPG
I did manage to remove the cap on the barrel. But I'm hanging on to it for later. I have a child that may eventually start playing with this thing. If she does, I'm putting it back in.

Why? I don't see that mattering unless your daughter is running around outside with it law enforcement is never likely to see it. I'm not being flip, I have four kids.

I specifically got mine from AE because I didn't want the plug.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874377)
Posted by Gambitgreen on April 13th, 2017 @ 9:54pm CDT

Got mine today from TF Source. Took it out to remove the plugs they said they were adding and.... NO PLUGS in mine! Not sure if this is an oversight or not.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874384)
Posted by Fox Thiagarajan on April 13th, 2017 @ 10:28pm CDT

@fenrir72 even Megs is no match for baby drool.

Mine came from BBTS and the plug in the barrel came out quite easily. Haven't touched the silencer yet, but hoping to achieve similar results.

This new Megatron has me watching some G1 cartoon goodness. 8-)

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874387)
Posted by Sabrblade on April 13th, 2017 @ 11:01pm CDT

Drift082111 wrote:This new Megatron has me watching some G1 cartoon goodness.

You know, I recently discovered something ironic about G1 Cartoon Megatron. Despite all of our clamoring for a gun-moded Megatron toy like in G1, Megatron in the cartoon actually admitted to being repulsed by his Earth altmode. By all of the Decepticon's Earth altmodes.

When he and the other Decepticons got drunk overenergized on energon in the "Microbots" episode, Megatron, in his candid stupor, called all of their altmodes "ugly Earth disguises". So even G1 Cartoon Megatron would rather have a Cybertronian altmode than an Earth-based one, but only keeps his Earthen one (albeit, likely begrudingly) seemingly out of disguising necessity.

So for all of MP-36's efforts to properly transform from Megatron's cartoon robot mode to his cartoon gun mode, it ends up being a mode that Megatron dislikes.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874412)
Posted by SpikeyTigertron on April 14th, 2017 @ 7:49am CDT

maybe it was BBTS's old work on MP-05, but I couldn't get that sucker to budge. I know BBTS linked the legal(ese) about it, which mentioned gluing.. glad they "fudged" that.

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874419)
Posted by wilcosu35 on April 14th, 2017 @ 9:13am CDT

I've got the touch

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874420)
Posted by Sabrblade on April 14th, 2017 @ 9:18am CDT

wilcosu35 wrote:I've got the touch

MP-36 has a secret Shirt Mode?!!! :shock:

That's AWESOME! :michaelbay:

Re: Masterpiece MP-36 Megatron - A Doubter Turned Believer's Review (1874421)
Posted by Cyberpath on April 14th, 2017 @ 9:20am CDT

Ironhidensh wrote: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?

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