Limbo Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 This is just a piece of advice for those considering the Matrix A.P.U. Boxed Set, also known as Mifune's Last Stand. O got the A.P.U. on my local Toys R Us last week, and it was with the left arm broken. Heartbroken, I returned it for a new one, drove 10 miles back home only to find out the same left arm broken again... After a 3rd trip to TRU, got my money back wondering if maybe their lot was screwed during transport or something... so I went to my regular comic shop and buy an A.P.U. ... still on the store I open the box in front of the owner and the same damn left arm was broken!!!! Usually I try to find a way around it, epoxy and crazy glue can make miracles... but this one it is a very sensitive plastic tube that connects the arm to the main body, allowing horizontal rotation. Trying the superglue fix will probably lose or reduce the already limited range of movement of the arm... I try to disassemble but there's a lot of stuff glued blocking the way to the screws that would let me disassemble the toy... Now I'm very apprehensive to get another one because if they are breaking inside the package like that, I'm sure it will snap out later when I'm posing or playing with it. The problem could have been easily avoided with a metal part for the connection, and I’m sure even a better quality plastic would do it. I still think McFarlane Toys have the best sculpts and their paint job is awesome. Too bad their corporate greed is so high that the qualities of their toys are sacrificed in such a way that nobody can possibly consider playing with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobywan Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Gorporate greed is a redundant statement. It's good to know what to look out for. Thanks for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoBe-Patt Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 can you show us a picture of what you are talking about? I wanna go to toys r us and check it out myself to see if there is the same problem here. Thanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NERV Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 i saw it at my local suncoast, i had no intention of buying it because it dont like the design anyway but i must say it looked very disappointing, its hard to believe that same company that made the sentinel also made thise, the platic and other materials looked cheap, the guy was badly sculpted, especially the face, and the APU did not look to be painted well at allseems to me liek they may have rushed it to get it out around the same time as the sentinel, because its obvious that alot less care was put into these than was put into the sentinel design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limbo Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 I don't have a picture because I returned the darn thing already... sorry about that, I'll snap a picture next time. It is the connection between the left arm and the main body. You can't miss. The problem is that you can't really spot just looking at the box because the toy is all locked with wires. I'm not very happy with that figure myself... but if you manage to take it off, I belive it is the same size of a Gi-Joe... you can put some cool Cobra pilot in there. I Hope it helps. -Limbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rogers Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 A lot of times design defects like these are usually fixed when McFarlane reissues a second batch. You might wanna wait until the second production batch is on the shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I too picked up an APU today, and you know what? My left arm was broken too in the exact same fashion. I'll be going back tomorrow to Wal-Mart to replace it. Wish me luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_vandermeer Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 got mine at a convention in SoCal, Frank and Sons. no problems with the left arm, but part of the "butt cage" (if you have one, you know what i'm talking about) was bent and practically broken off. be careful when rotating those legs. don't push them too far back! switched it with one from TRU. that one was perfect, no problems whatsoever. it may just be luck of the draw. i do agree that a lot of care needs to be taken when playing with this thing, though. so many pieces that can be easily bent or broken if you aren't careful. in the end, i love the one i got from TRU. looks bad ass. it just takes FOREVER to get the figure's arms to hold his controls properly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barpharanges Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 Weird. My A.P.U.'s right arm snapped apart at that pesky joint. A VERY weak connection for so much mass. I'm thinking some stray glue from the torso assembley may have fused the rotational pin, causing limited poseability as you shear through the plastic pin untill it snaps off. I'm trying to fix the problem as we speak. Wish me luck..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 This is one of the main things that makes me keep my distance from McToys...their toys are made of old dried bird sh!t. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usagiz Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 My APU is sitting 2 feet away from me in fine shape, Its a typical mctoy, good to try to pose, and then not touch... I have heard lots of breakages of parts, but I havent had any problems, of course I am GENTLE with my toys and if something isnt going to fit right, I leave it alone;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limbo Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 I take relatively good care of my toys. They should not sell a toy that is not supposed to be touched. It is a toy, for Christ sake. And the problem is that those things are already broken inside the box! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGuy42 Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I take relatively good care of my toys. They should not sell a toy that is not supposed to be touched. It is a toy, for Christ sake. And the problem is that those things are already broken inside the box! How's the quality on the Sentinel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NERV Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I take relatively good care of my toys. They should not sell a toy that is not supposed to be touched. It is a toy, for Christ sake. And the problem is that those things are already broken inside the box! How's the quality on the Sentinel? the sentinel is fantastic, the only thing you have to be careful is the 4 articulated claws, the digits seems pretty delicate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limbo Posted December 18, 2003 Author Share Posted December 18, 2003 (edited) The sentinel is much better and sturdy in quality. You'll realize is much heavier too, but some care is required. A friend of mine broke one of the tentacles when playing with it. He was bending it and the whole tentacle just snapped out… My advice is to hold the tentacles' base with your hand when bending them to avoid unnecessary stress on the joins. Also, I would love a version of the sentinel with LEDs… can you imagine that thing hanging on the ceiling with glowing red eyes in the dark? Edited December 18, 2003 by Limbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DARTHTODD Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 I don't know about you guys, but for $20, I can't complain (course mine wasn't broken). Jees, if Yamato made this thing, it would cost about $200! For the price and the incredible detail on this, I think it's a great toy. Another thing is I've never really looked on McFarlane toys as toys that you'd wanna play with anyway. Their joints are typically in weird places and the figure is really meant for posing. I'm so sick of breaking the bank lately with all these expensive toys/collectibles that it's refreshing to buy something at a good reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 is there a way to disassemble the toy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComicKaze Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 This was the case with all the Kaiyodo Virtual On toys as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_vandermeer Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 (edited) GODDAMIT! *update on my A.P.U. after my previous post saying my replacement to another broken one was great...* So the thing has mostly been posed here and there on my shelf. Nothing too aggressive in terms of twists and turns in the arms, legs and torso. Well what happens the other night I decide to pick it up and get it in a new pose? I twist the torso a couple of times and the entire thing BREAKS IN HALF! I guess it was ratcheted too tightly, so basically this whole time I was twisting the waist, it wasn't turning at a swivel, but rather the plastic itself was being twisted back and forth until the whole thing finally came apart in my hands. VERY VERY DISAPPOINTING. I really liked the design and engineering of it, but the materials and construction are just too piss-poor. I will not be getting another one. And if McFarlane ever decides to do a Power Loader from Aliens (which I USED to hope for), I won't be getting that either. STAY AWAY!!! Edited March 22, 2004 by dr_vandermeer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 well I took the risk and got mine for 21 bucks and well yeah its already broken so i'm still thinking on how to disassemble the toy, any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GobotFool Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 GODDAMIT! *update on my A.P.U. after my previous post saying my replacement to another broken one was great...* So the thing has mostly been posed here and there on my shelf. Nothing too aggressive in terms of twists and turns in the arms, legs and torso. Well what happens the other night I decide to pick it up and get it in a new pose? I twist the torso a couple of times and the entire thing BREAKS IN HALF! I guess it was ratcheted too tightly, so basically this whole time I was twisting the waist, it wasn't turning at a swivel, but rather the plastic itself was being twisted back and forth until the whole thing finally came apart in my hands. VERY VERY DISAPPOINTING. I really liked the design and engineering of it, but the materials and construction are just too piss-poor. I will not be getting another one. And if McFarlane ever decides to do a Power Loader from Aliens (which I USED to hope for), I won't be getting that either. STAY AWAY!!! Bout the power loader, save up, I think Aoshima is gonna make us a diecast one Someone posted a shot of Aoshima's new announcment line up and I think I saw one in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 anyone here tried sending a complaint on the toy to the customer service of spawn.com? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limbo Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 (edited) anyone here tried sending a complaint on the toy to the customer service of spawn.com? I've sent a couple of messages to McFarland customer service (with cc to every email on their page) and I never got a reply from anybody. The company stop caring a long time ago... if they ever did. Edited March 22, 2004 by Limbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 (edited) hey guys just got a reply today from mcfarlane toy company and this is what they said Dear Customer, Thank you for your purchase of our figures and bringing to our attention the problems with your Matrix Revolutions Box Set - APU. Most retailers will gladly issue a refund or store credit for the defective merchandise.If, however, the store refuses to accept a return for these products, we can offer a replacement for the defective product. However, we do require that you send in the broken pieces to your APU (Not the entire figure) to us at the address below. The McFarlane Companies P.O. Box 12230 Tempe, AZ 85284 Please accept our apologies over this experience. Your business and your understanding are appreciated. Thank you. Nikki Foster The McFarlane Companies www.spawn.com DONT give up hope yet try e-mailing them again Edited March 22, 2004 by tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr March Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 (edited) Can you fellas tell me an online store (preferably in Canada or at least ships to Canada) to buy the Sentinel or the APU? Spawn.com doesn't have any in their store from what I can tell. Edited April 22, 2004 by Mr March Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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