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M'Kyuun

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About M'Kyuun

  • Birthday 07/05/1971

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    mcquownw@hotmail.com

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Spokane, Wa
  • Interests
    Robots, especially those that transform; LEGO; sci-fi; well-engineered toys

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Regarding the last sentence, I couldn't disagree more. My copy finally arrived today, and I'm quite impressed with how well executed he is. If their aim was to shrink the OG toy while improving articulation, Takara understood the assignment and followed through admirably IMHO. Would it have objectively improved the figure's playability had they allowed the wings to swing back out of the way in bot mode? Absolutely, and I wish that had been their one main departure from the OG design. Additional joints to allow the wings to camber would have also been appreciated too, but the wings are serviceable as-is. As it stands, however, I think this is one of their best Insecticon releases, along with the legends scaled Titans Return Insecticons which had more realistic insect modes than their G1 toys. I love robotic insects, so the nearer they are to the source, the more pleasing I find them. I still find the OG Insecticons charming (coming from Diaclone, they were more insect shaped vehicles than actual robotic insects); however, originating in the short-lived Armored Insect Corps Beetras toyline, designed by Shinji Aramaki who also wanted bots with more realistic insect modes after seeing Takara's Diaclone toys, there were four toys realized which Hasbro used for its Deluxe Insecticons. Aramaki-sensei created seven additional designs, but according to the TF Wiki, none of them went beyond the prototype stage. Unfortunately, Takatoku folded, Bandai acquired their Beetras and Dorvack toylines, and Hasbro acquired the rights to use those toys in Transformers. A taste of what might've been. A planned second series included a hornet, spider, and dragonfly. Speaking to the shoulders: it takes a little tug, but they do click into place. I love how the arms compress and then the shoulders further compress into the body. If they can pull it off with a deluxe, I'm left wondering why they couldn't do the same thing with SS86 Swoop at a leader scale and price point, which would be accurate to the OG toy. I love that Venom (let's just agree to dispense with the official "Venin" name) has articulated legs on ball joints which look realistic and allow for some limited posing in his cicada mode. The wings can be positioned open or closed, another nice touch of realism. In short, I think they did a great job with him and it only makes me want the other Deluxe Insecticons to get their own deluxe scaled, articulation-improved OG-toy-faithful figures instead of the repainted and retooled regular Insecticons that we actually got. I can only hope that there's sufficient interest by the fandom and that Hasbro is aware and willing to turn them into plastic playthings.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I still prefer the greater detail on the Netflix figure. I dislike the leftover arm kibble from his Siege 'spaceship' mode, and I wish they'd retooled his arms for the Netflix release, but otherwise, I still think it's a decent take. I do wish however that the legs bent forward at the knees like the G1 toy to fill in his cassette player mode. Oddly enough, they followed suit with the SS86 mold, which makes no sense when the knee bumps are there precisely for that reason. It would have made more sense to follow the G1 toy's engineering in that regard than copy the Netflix's improper transformation and then make the knee bumps push flush into the legs on the outside edges of the cassette player mode. I think the cassettes for SS86 Soundwave leave a lot to be desired as well. I still haven't secured a PO for SS86 Soundwave, and oddly enough, despite Soundwave's being one of my favorite characters, I'm not really feeling like I'm missing out. I'm waiting patiently, hoping that perhaps they'll do a slight toyish retool with more surface details. Unfortunately, nothing's gonna fix those crappy cassettes. Hopefully, Dr Wu will give us something better.
  3. M'Kyuun
    POs are still available at Target.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I agree- it looks good. FWIW, I mostly collect G1 stuff with which they've been doing a good to great job overall. I've never been so fulfilled collecting the main line. Sorry to hear that you're not getting that same feeling. I'm still all-in for the final season of Stranger Things. My wife and I have enjoyed every season thus far, and I'm actually sad to see it end, but y'know, all good things... Moreover, the kids are all grown up now and barely pass for teenagers anymore, and I'm sure they all want to move on to other things. I guess it's time. To that end, I was surprised to see one ST collab, so a second is, to my knowledge, unprecedented with any of their other crossover IPs except Star Wars. I'm not complaining; I'm just pointing out that a second collab, like the show itself, is an oddity. However, this one is far more a love letter to the 80s, so very apropos. Speaking of the 80s, I wouldn't for a second doubt that we'll see this mold again now that you mentioned A-Team. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the secondary use of the mold, as they probably already have BA's van planned and this seemed a good opportunity to get a little more mileage from it. I so want an Airwolf collab. And, unlike jets, Takara has a great track record with making good to great helicopter alts. I'd wish for a Top Gun: Maverick Darkstar, but I don't wish to spoil my day contemplating the myriad ways in which Takara would F it up to hell and back.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Well, that's new and unexpected. Nice to see they didn't just recolor the Surfer Boy Pizza van; this looks like a completely new mold, and not a bad looking one at all. A few minutes later.... I ventured over to TFW2005 to see if I could glean more info, and of course they had a first-look article with pics and additional info. His name is Freakwency and the bird is In-Trax. SMH at those names. Anyway, he also comes with a rubber chicken that turns into his gun. Apparently, it'll be a thing in the final season. Anyway, In-Trax converts into, appropriately, an 8-track cassette which can plug into his abdomen, not unlike Soundwave and his chest gimmick. NGL, I'm totes diggin' it. 8-tracks were still relevant when I was a young lad (my uncle had a small collection in his big-ass car complete with curb feelers), so this resonates in positive way. Good vibes, man. Too, Soundwave and his cassette minions are still some of my all-time favorite Transformers, so this follows suit nicely, albeit with a more practical alt mode. I like how his abdomen's door looks like an old-school AM/FM radio complete with cassette slot. So much cheesy goodness! Def must-buy.😍
  6. M'Kyuun
    Reading all these concerns, I'm kinda glad I opted for the HMR Fire Valkyrie. Granted, there's more partsforming, but the engineering you do have to deal with is fairly straightforward if you've handled a Yamato/Arcadia YF-19/VF-19 over the past two decades. Seems, with this design at least, Bandai took a good hard look at Yamato's solutions to overcoming animation magic with creative engineering and applied them, for the most part, to their own takes. Shame the same couldn't be said for their YF-21. 😒 Anyway, while I used to collect 1/60 exclusively and all but ignored HMR, with prices ever soaring and my display space in the negative, I took a dip into HMR early this year with the VF-4 and now I have four of them: (VF-2SS - probably the best executed toy of this design ever. It's not perfect, but what is? It's still a gorgeous toy); the VF-0D, the aforementioned VF-4 (They followed the Yamato design to the letter, which isn't a bad thing per se; however, I would've been over the moon had they gone the extra mile and figured out how to articulate its shoulder pods, giving it both an edge over its parent design and far more utility as a combat machine.); and finally Basara's ride, a design I've avoided until now, but the HMR was done so well I felt the opportunity to add a small but well done version to my collection had arrived. No regrets on that front. Anyway, regarding Bandai's approach to Macross, it's no secret that Gundam is foremost in their priorities and Macross is, well, not. That said, I've been mostly happy with their DX line from the VF-25 Renewal onwards, but I've only picked up a handful of them to be fair, so I can't judge the line as a whole. My foray into HMR has been one of surprise and delight. However, the long-anticipated DX YF-21 leaves somewhat to be desired, even if I love how the thing looks, unnecessarily HUGE backpack notwithstanding. For me, it's the epitome of Bandai's lack of care when dealing with Macross, but it wasn't the first Macross release with warts (the OG DX VF-25 with its chunky proportions and improper hip position haunts the line) and certainly other releases have had their foibles. All this is to say, I empathize with you guys dealing with your DX VF-19s and hope you can find workarounds to the issues as well as finding some modicum of joy in your shiny new valkyrie toy.
  7. M'Kyuun
    And for what, honestly, is not that good a figure, especially when compared to either the ER mold or SS86. I assume these are deluxe scaled, but if they're smaller, I'll stick with my far superior Magic Square fig, thanks.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I share your POV. While I can understand the others' POVs as well and can see how a bad movie or six can ruin a franchise for some, I tend to just block the offending entries out and concentrate on my enjoyment of those parts that I like. For some, I guess that's not possible, or at the very least, very difficult.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Regarding Alien 3, it wasn't a bad film, per se, just not a good follow up to the excellent Aliens. Aliens is still one of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies and no matter who did the sequel, even Cameron himself, it would have proven to be a hard act to follow. That said, killing off Hicks and Newt right from the start after establishing them both as great characters who you care about, and whose importance to Ripley can't be overstated, was a gut punch that irrevocably tarnishes the film from the beginning. Both characters deserved a far, far better story, and certainly a better ending. The Alien franchise began its downward trajectory from there, unfortunately, which is why I don't watch post-Aliens films or give them much thought. I can compartmentalize Alien and Aliens into their own box of greatness and leave the chaff to float away on the winds of forgetfulness. As to Star Wars, I'm still a fan of the OT- great films all, although I could have lived contentedly without Ewoks. IMHO, George f'd up the franchise with the terrible prequels [except for the fight with Maul, the awesome Duel of the Fates, the lovely Naboo N-1 fighter, the Vulture Droids (yay, official Star Wars transformers!), and the collective films' laying the groundwork for both Tartakovsky's and Filoni's Clone Wars cartoons, as well as Filoni's Rebels, Bad Batch, and The Mandalorian]. IMHO, while the prequels were trash, what they inspired colors my view of SW in a positive light. YMMV, of course, but I think those shows will stand the test of time and overshadow the films that inspired them. As to the post OT sequels, The Force Awakens is merely ok, but I'd rather they had stuck closer to Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire storyline. Rian Johnson threw a wrench in the whole works with his terrible The Last Jedi, and Abram's attempt to salvage the wreckage of the story he had planned for all three films culminated in the lackluster The Rise of Skywalker. It's hugely lamentable that Lucas didn't make the OT sequels throughout the 90s while the principal cast was still in their prime. Zahn had a good outline of events that would have complimented the OT well, IMHO, and it's a tragedy that Lucas didn't seize the opportunity and finish off his 9-part play back then with a far, far better story to give our heroes a better send off. Alas, what could've and should've been. As to Tron, IMHO, the Tron: Uprising cartoon stands superior to both live action sequels. It was well-written, the VAs did an excellent job bringing the characters to life, the continued underdog-vs-evil governance story that started with Tron continued the OG film's legacy, Tron himself became a bit dark and gritty, which only elevated the show's maturity and appeal. So much goodness, so naturally Disney cancelled what was, and will likely remain, the best part of the Tron franchise besides the OG film itself, after only one season. It deserved at least another, and I would have loved to have seen a continuation into a third. It's just a damned good show. Alas, what could've and should've been.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Responding, too, to @mechaninac and @Big s's posts, sequels generally don't erode the enjoyment I feel for the original films. Tron, of course, looks dated; that's an inescapable fact, but it's also part of its charm and I'm not bothered by it. Same goes for many 80s movies oozing with practical effects, many of which don't look so great to the modern eye. Perhaps I've a greater tolerance than most, but I can still enjoy a lot of pre-CG sci-fi and horror films (Tron takes the prize for being one of the first heavy-CG films from the 80s, along with The Last Starfighter). I have a great deal of respect for the practical effects artists that conjured up ways to make writers' and directors' words and visions come to fruition in a tangible fashion for filming. It's becoming a rarer art these days, but there are still directors who choose to use practical effects over CG whenever possible, and I think it makes a difference when seeing a real model as opposed to a CG creation, be it a ship, a creature, a miniature cityscape, what have you. Anyway, I hope someday you'll find your way back to the OG films without the bitterness of whatever company, director, studio, etc has done to sour your view of them and simply enjoy them for their merits.
  11. M'Kyuun
    I don't collect these-yet-but I have to say the amount of articulation and the sheer detail that Dr. Wu accomplished with this tiny figure is extraordinary. I'm far more into his cassettes, of which I hope there are many more, especially the main characters like Rumble Ravage, Laserbeak, etc. However, as you pointed out, this shows improvement over earlier figs and hopefully he'll revisit some of those earlier attempts with refined versions. Always a bit of a bummer when you're collecting a line and one toy really kinda stands out, like Star Shuttle, and your left feeling disappointed and wondering why the same attention and care isn't given to every single toy. That said, at that scale, a lot can be forgiven and I think Wu's still doing a good job on these guys overall. Bring on the Datsuns! I preordered Prowl and Kickback tonight, as I'm a sucker for Prowl, and the thought of having a toy that tiny that still transforms and has a fair bit of articulation is worth picking up. I'm still enamored with Newage's take, which is pretty small, but it'll positively dwarf Dr. Wu's.
  12. M'Kyuun
    My wife and I went to see Tron: Ares this past weekend. It was neither great nor terrible, but I found it an enjoyable escape. It told its own story within the Tron universe with some nice homages to the original film and the briefest of references to Legacy. The visuals were certainly beautiful, as one would expect following Legacy. The mid-credits scene makes me hope this does well enough to justify a sequel, as what it promises has more to do with legacy than Legacy.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Brawl and Blast Off were my only two orders this time. I'm not a big fan of their homegrown Junkions either, and IMHO, they wasted what could have otherwise been a good fig by reusing a Junkion mold for Animated Wreck-Gar. I have the OG toy, which is far superior than this wannabe.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Missed the preorder window with Pulse again, so I managed to get Blast Off and Brawl through Amazon. at least I get free shipping as a Prime member. If that Brawl leg/foot transformation is legit, that's an interesting way to go, especially since they're using the frame system. I'm not complaining as it's all-in-one engineering, which is unexpected from Takara/Hasbro considering the methodology for Menasor and Superion where the vehicles are essentially accoutrements and the feet are part of the frame. I don't mind their taking the Motormaster approach with Onslaught. Both depart from their G1 toys by splitting the trailers from their cabs, but Motormaster was well-executed, IMHO, and it makes sense to use the trailer as the frame for the combined mode. Thanks to a quick demo at the MCM London TF convention, there's confirmation that the trailer enjoys a bit of swivel which should be a requisite when it comes to Onslaught's long alt mode. So few companies work it in, so I'm glad Takara did it here, even if the arc of rotation is somewhat limited. With all of the Combaticons revealed, the team and Bruticus are shaping up to be some of the best AotP releases.
  15. M'Kyuun
    There certainly does seem to be an unsettling trend of one-upmanship with Fans Toys, and I'm sure they're all too aware that they have a devoted following that they're all too happy to exploit. For my part, while I own a number of their figures, I'm not a star-struck fanboy. Actually, I'm not a devotee of any particular company, as I'm picky and patient, and I tend to fence-sit waiting for the version of a figure that most appeals to me. I will say, however, that I'm happy with the FT figs I own and I don't regret buying any of them. But their practice in light of other companies' releases is shady, especially when history tells us that a promise of a new figure often takes years to fulfill. As my collecting is tending to wane, I'm watching most of these conventions with an air of vicariousness; while some things are interesting, the increasing prices and my lack of space conspire towards cultivating an attitude of more looking, less buying, alas. I too, favor MMC for their combiners, as I'm definitely a fan of the all-in-one engineering they've come to master. I would have loved to have had their Bruticus, and I like what they're doing with their Constructicons. I think XTB are doing a great job with theirs as well. I'm especially enamored with the fact that their Long Haul's dump bed can actually dump, an unfortunate rarity. I bemoan the lack of functionality with Hasbro's latest Constructicons' alt modes although they did a good job with Devastator. I thought the Combiner Wars version was a hot mess, but this one looks appropriately G1 and, what's more, unlike its predecessor, this one is solid once combined and lends itself admirably to posing. It speaks to lessons learned, so good job, Takara. Returning to FT in regard to the above pics, once again the promise of a new Prowl figure incites my interest; however, their too-toon leanings and tendency towards over-engineering for its own sake leaves me cold. I'll be happy when the toon-slavish trend fades and toy designs favor surface details and more of the OG toys' features over the toon's plain and simplified forms. Unfortuantely, according to Evan Brooks at the MCM London Convention this past weekend, Has/Tak are adopting the toonish aesthetic more and more going forward with SS86 which doesn't inspire me. Fortunately, I already have the vast majority of G1 characters that I want from the last few years' releases, and I'm quite satisfied with them in the event they go fully toon and lose my interest completely. Agree, except I've been wanting it since 1984! 😄 Even as a kid when Transformers were shiny and new as a Western concept, I found the toys extremely lacking for their limitations, chief among them, articulation. When Classics was coming on the scene, I hoped for more G1 designs, but nope- just G1-ish with liberties. That said, I love Classics Mirage, Bumblebee, Hound and Ravage, all designed by Alex Kubalsky. They're still some of my absolute favorite TF figures. I think that was the early allure of MP- the designs skewed towards the toon look well before the main line stuff did and it took them a long, long time to realize maybe the main line should follow suit. I'm glad they arrived at the realization, and the toys have been good to excellent for the most part, but it's lamentable that they didn't come a couple decades ago when prices were cheaper and the toys enjoyed greater parts counts at smaller scales. Imagine had they done SS86 or the current main line in 2007. Somewhere in the back of my mind I'm vaguely familiar with the Prowl as a part of Devastator storyline. I haven't seen or read it myself, but over the years, I remember its being mentioned in some fashion or other, likely here on this forum, the one I frequent most. As to DST's take, oh my, the liberties! I fear it's not for me, but in the interest of completing that story in toy form, it's cool that DST has you covered, in their singular fashion, of course.
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