Buying a Model F-15 Eagle

Perhaps one of those purchases I'll regret making later due to the sheer size of the thing, but my Masterpiece Skywarp Transformers figure has arrived. I fondly like to call it my Masterpiece F-15 Eagle fighter jet model, as I'll never want to transform this thing ever again. I bought it using the live.com cashback deal with eBay's "Buy it Now" option using paypal, netting me 30% off the $99 price tag. If you're late to the game, do a live.com search for something generic and click on the ebay ad, then sink your wallet into oblivion.

I've only ever built one model airplane, an F-18 Fighting Hornet, and my painting skills were subpar back then. I had nightmarish problems applying decals, and parts not gluing on right. Rather than build a model kit that has limited moving parts, I decided it would be better spending a bit more on a highly detailed model that happens to transform into a robot that likes to destroy things. Most of the details are already added to the model, so less work for me. I stashed the sticker sheet into the box and threw that into the closet, as using the stickers would make me feel bad. Not "ruins the resale value" bad, but more of a fear of a similar experience with stickers being misapplied.

Anyways, the box is huge. The model jet is about 32cm long. as to what scale that is, I have no idea.

It took me an hour to decipher the drawings the creators passed off as "instructions". This toy/model was not a user friendly designed product. There are many small parts that my "fat" fingers couldn't manipulate, necessitating the assistance of some illegal immigrant children to do it for me. However, I didn't have any spare illegal immigrant children, so a screwdriver had to suffice. The instructions being in Japanese with vague pictures didn't help. I was afraid half the time of snapping a part off clean. However, I did manage to complete Skywarp's transformation and discovered a fun little feature.

Masterpiece Skywarp can hold 1:6 scale guns! Screw the Null Ray cannons, Skywarp has Glock 20s, which are superior than laser cannons. Remember: shields and Jedi can block slow moving lasers. When you're the minion of a mighty robot army, you can't be bothered with shields and Mark Hamils blocking your victory.