MP-11A Acid Storm

Masterpiece Acid Storm is a Toys"R"Us-exclusive redeco of MP-11 Starscream (himself a heavy retool of MP-3 Starscream), but without the coronation gear. He transforms into an F-15 Eagle fighter jet, and features numerous built-in gimmicks, such as an opening panel at the top-center of the jet, adjustable thrust vectors, a sculpted radar hidden in his nosecone, and an opening canopy. In robot mode, he features missile pods hidden in his chest. For accessories, his non-firing cannons are attached to extending armatures so that they don't have to be removed for transformation, but they each have a 5mm post, and can be easily detached via ball joint. He also comes with two missile racks which peg via 5mm post onto ports on his wings, provided the cannons (which normally mount there in vehicle mode) are removed. Also included is a pilot figurine that can fit in his cockpit, and he additionally has a clip that is intended to mount underneath the cockpit and hold the Megatron gun initially included with 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime/Masterpiece MP-1 Convoy. Finally, he comes with a two-piece stand, which has two peg-holes to store two of his weapons, and can be configured for either robot or vehicle mode. On the sides of his cockpit, he sports tampographed names of a pilot and a co-pilot: "MSGT. [Master Sergeant] B 'Vicious' Vala" (after Hasbro designer Bobby Vala[1]) and "SSGT. [Staff Sergeant] Etipsone" (after graffiti artist Etipsone[2]). Acid Storm's instructions neglect to mention numerous steps of his transformation, such as the fact that the strut his nosecone is attached to is on a slide joint that allows it to slide into the cockpit more and help compact his kibble backpack. It also fails to mention the fact that he has heels hidden in compartments just in front of his thrusters, and that his tail-fin/rear wing assemblies are also on slide joints, allowing them to slide up and allow his toes and heels to both touch the surface at once. To make matters worse, his instructions only tell you how to transform him into vehicle mode... despite the fact that he's packaged in vehicle mode. Acid Storm, along with fellow Masterpiece, Soundwave, was first released in limited numbers in conjunction with San Diego Comic-Con 2013. Acid Storm was later made available in TakaraTomy's markets as a "USA Edition" of sorts, still exclusive to Toys"R"Us. While the figure itself was unchanged, the packaging was altered to change his ID number, among other things. Common to both versions is a designated number marking him as part of the Thrilling 30 line. Acid Storm's original deco would have been significantly different, such as featuring a different pilot and co-pilot ("MSGT. Bill 'Brawlin' Brawley" and "SSGT. Mark 'Tag' Maher"), and being far more busy. He would have had numerous additional tampographs, such as a reference to him being part of the "924th Rainmakers", a reference to a "Toxitron Weapons System", "Bringing the Pain Rain", and even Rainbow Dash's cutie mark!