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Mod Note @Disco Avenger wm cheng's reasons for not taking a job are of no business of yours. He works with 9 other VFX artists on this production itself, along with a very large list of producers and directors (and writers) whom all provide input. Whether or not he agrees with the direction of the producers of this show is not his call. He is there to make sure the VFX satisfies the production's needs. Now, you can walk out of this thread and not come back or I can show you the door.

I realized that it is likely due to the prototype nature of the model, but when I noticed it my mind immediately jumped to this concept art. Unlikely as it is to be the reason.

Seems like there's a real deep cut in the new season's second episode "Wedding Bell Blues".

So... pretty much as a rule, when a habitable planet is located and colonized in Macross it's an emigrant fleet that found the planet and colonized it. That's what emigrant fleets do. It's kind of their entire thing, really. Those emigrant fleets raise, fund, and maintain their own local New UN Forces defense forces that protect them in transit as well as after they locate a planet and settle down. The size and composition of those forces varies wildly based on the generation of emigrant fleet and preferences of its government, but the vast majority of planets have at least a few New UN Spacy warships chilling out in orbit for defense. Most have dozens if not hundreds. Even New UN Government member worlds that weren't, strictly speaking, colonized by Humanity because they already had native sentient lifeforms have such defense forces, and some maintain additional paramilitary forces for law enforcement purposes like Zola's anti-poaching Zola Patrol and Uroboros's anti-piracy Hunter's Guild. Yeah, that's pretty much the rationale behind the Hunter's Guild on Uroboros. Though the Uroboros Hunter's Guild isn't a PMC, it's a licensing and regulatory body for freelance bounty hunters and similar... basically your standard JRPG Adventurer's Guild but dressed up in sci-fi suitable terms. 'course, it's worth noting that the emigrant fleet's/planet's government is already footing the bill to maintain the fleet's/planet's local New UN Forces. Of course. These PMCs are corporate subsidiaries that have to turn a profit in order to stay in business and often remain enmeshed in providing services to their parent companies. Mind you, because manpower is scarce and demand is high they do seem to be willing to take risks on people who have skills but also have problematic habits, personalities, or histories. This much is explicitly stated, and we of course do get examples to go with it. Even SMS, the top tier PMC, is hiring folks who got BCD'd out of the service and Xaos is even less choosy... hiring several characters who are described as lazy and guilty of chronic tardiness and absenteeism, a mentally unstable pilot, and a commander with a rather checkered past and a long history of losing battles. There's definitely an element of suspect judgement in some of their decisions, particularly Xaos's in Macross Delta. Such as allowing a new recruit to repeatedly blow off training without consequences and disable safety features in a training aircraft after skipping training on the ground, a rather heinous breach of common sense that nearly got their new recruit killed in the expensive and messy crash of a dedicated training aircraft. Well, yes... whether such wise leadership is actually available is another matter entirely. However, PMCs aren't being hired to take on Zentradi fleets on their own or anything like that. From what we see and what we're told, when they're not being hired by their parent company to protect its own assets and personnel they're providing support, training, and/or field testing services in support of the local New UN Forces. They're not a replacement for said local New UN Forces, merely a supplement to them.

Closing out this wave of Age of the Primes with one of the titular Primes- Deluxe-class Alchemist Prime. Alchemist has a bit of history that dates all the way back to Simon Furman's run on the original UK run of Marvel's Transformers, where we're introduced to Maccadam's Old Oil House and its mustachioed bartender. Later, when Furman wrote DK's Transformers - The Ultimate Guide, he slipped in the additional lore that Maccadam was one of the original 13 Transformers, alongside artwork of the bartender (who was never explicitly stated to be Maccadam). Separately, Hasbro was developing the material that would become The Covenant of Primus, where we were first introduced to Alchemist Prime, the Prime with power of the elements. Alchemist was depicted as a thicker fellow with glasses and a beard, and was said to be one of the only Primes to remain on Cybertron after the Age of the Primes. But it was Transformers Cyberverse that eventually took the idea of a bartender rumored to be an ancient Prime and an actual Prime who somehow remained on Cybertron but is totally unknown and canonized that to mean that Maccadam and Alchemist Prime are the same guy. Which means that, if you competed the build-a figure packed with the early waves of Cyberverse Deluxes, you already have an Alchemist Prime toy! Unlike Cyberverse Maccadam, AotP Alchemist isn't specifically modeled on Youtuber Thew Adams, though there are elements like the knee pads, glasses, the tummy grill, and the circular details on the forearms that call back to that design. They're blended with the greenish color of Alchemist as he appears in The Covenant of Primus and the mustachioed face of the G1 bartender. While I've a fondness for Cyberverse Maccadam, this version of Alchemist is a suitably G1-adjacent blend of the various Alchemist/Maccadam designs in a fairly tidy package. Alchemist's accessories are supposed to be his signature relic, the Lenses. But... the Lenses are really supposed to be his glasses. Despite being modeled on the glasses worn by Alchemist in The Covenant of Primus, these Lenses are too big to be worn by a Titan, let alone a Deluxe. Alchemist's head is on a ball joint. It can tilt up or sideways slightly, but a transformation hinge gives be pretty good downward tilt. His shoulders rotate and move laterally 90 degrees, biceps swivel, elbows bend 90 degrees, no wrist swivels. His waist swivels, hips can go forward and laterally 90 degrees, only slightly under 90 degrees backward. Thighs swivel, knees bend 90 degrees. No up/down tilt on the feet, but his ankles pivot about 75 degrees. I guess the Lenses are his weapon? There are bits on the ends that let him hold them like daggers... Alternatively, there are 5mm pegs on them that let him hold them like a gun, mount to his forearms, or mount to his shoulders. The "blade" of the left lens is set farther forward and hollow on the back, while the "blade" on the right is recessed and thinner, essentially allowing it to slot behind the one on the left and combine to make lenses he can hold and kinda look through. Alchemist's transformation is pretty simple. His head tucks into his chest, and his arms first pull away from his sides and then hinge backward, allowing them to join at the shoulders and forearms behind his back. His waist swivels 180 degrees, his shins open, his feet tuck in, then his legs encapsulate his forearms. Then you just rock the windshield into place. The resulting vehicle is decidedly less Cybertronian that we've seen so far with the other Primes. I don't dislike it, but it almost strikes me as Prime Bulkhead, or maybe Animated or Prime Ratchet. And, huh, I think I've heard that Animated Ratchet is coming in 2026. Well, Alchemist might not have the most Cybertronian alt mode we've seen, but it's a pretty competent Hummer-esque SUV. In alt mode, the 5mm ports that were on Alchemist's shoulders wind up on his roof, so you simply plug the Lenses in there for storage and Bob's your uncle. In the most objective sense, Alchemist is a perfectly competent Deluxe-class toy. He's got acceptably normal articulation, an uncomplicated transformation, and a serviceable alt mode. Frankly, this figure is executed much better than fellow Deluxe Solus. As a character, Marvel UK and The Ultimate Guide don't have the same impact on me as Maccadam's prominent role in Cyberverse, so I kind of wish they'd drawn a little more from that version. I guess his biggest flaw is just that he's the boring Prime. He's not the first, he's not Optimus' mentor, he's not the Fallen or the girl or the trickster at the center of that fall, he's not the guy with the prominent role in Cybertron or the Centaur... he's the bartender. Get him if you're in for all Thirteen, otherwise wait for the repaint.

It’s a prototype in the picture, but I’d assume that it’s a two part assembly, just not stick together so great here. Moderoid usually has pretty good fit in the final product, so it will look a lot better in hand

Not Toys. Snap - fit, colour molded assembly kits (models). Thanks Big S. Has anyone noticed, or voiced any theories on the split front tire?

Looks nice. I'm not familiar with the Good Smile Cyclone. Can you, someone, speak to their quality? From your pix alone, it sorta gives me the "budget toy" vibe.

Yeah, they’re posted a couple pages back in this thread and in the Moderoid thread. Still waiting for the preorders though. Definitely looking forward to them

Did we already know that Good Smile is producing both a Stick and a Ray ride armor for the Moderoid line? Pics from Shizouka in May.

Sorry, my source indicated thousands; maybe I need better sources. Seriously though: I agree that overkill by several hundred is about as bad as overkill by thousands. I guess it would just be a preference of how many smithereens you'd prefer to be in. 😛 An all hands on deck, the $#!7's about to hit the fan event. FRMville.

The most fragile kits! They broke a lot in the process. It’s gonna be a cannon fodder vf-1a they look beat up in the show all the time.

Hence 'backwater colony.' The emigrant fleets are designed with firepower necessary to hold threats off long enough to allow the main fleet to escape. Colonial defense--particularly of small colonies--shouldn't call for a significant NUNS deployment unless there's a known threat. PMCs would be ideal for running off criminal elements (assuming, of course, they're not the criminal element) or at least being able to buy time should a more significant threat come up. They wouldn't need top-notch equipment for that--just enough sense to know when to fight and when to call for help. Better (for NUNS), the colony would be paying. I suspect the companies providing the funding for all these ships, Valkyries and equipment are going to want a return on their investment. The PMCs involved would mainly technical personnel--pilots, maintainers, crewdogs, shiphandlers and the like. (Doorkickers, it would seem, do not seem to be in demand in Macross.) The guys these PMCs will hire for these jobs will either be trained in house from the ground up, or they'll be coordinating with folks exiting the services and training them to the standard they want. While I am certain those PMCs vary in quality--they do IRL, after all--none of these companies will want to lose valuable assets to incompetence. I doubt they're going to hire the nearest drunk wearing a campaign hat at the local VFW. Those PMCs will take calculated risks for profits--not foolish ones. Mercenary companies aren't noted for sacrifice--only professionalism so long as the profit is there (note the comment on risk above). Wise leadership would be prepared for that. Additionally, one would hope the leadership of a small colony wouldn't be foolish enough to try to stare down a main fleet. Terrorist bands, pirates and small Zentraedi fleet elements are about the only threats PMCs should be tasked to handle. Anything more should drive either a mass evacuation or a major force deployment by the NUNS with no guarantee of victory.

Godspeed

truthfully not surprised he's gone, at least not this fast. There were stories I've heard where Sharon and him were planning to go to Switzerland cause assisted suicide was a thing. Given his situation and how much pain he was in, falling, back surgery, diagnosed with Parkinsons, I get why it would be a thing. If anything it showed his final concert not even a month ago was a big send off and a message to everyone this was gonna be truly the end.

Hundreds, not thousands. We don't have a firm size range, but the one branch fleet we have definite numbers for (Vrlitwhai's 67th branch fleet in the TV series) was implied to be on the large side for a branch fleet and consisted of 1,213 ships. Not that there's a huge amount of practical difference in being outnumbered hundreds to one as opposed to thousands to one in a stand-up fight. Indeed. Even in 2058, an armed confrontation with a branch fleet was Serious Business even for the largest and best-equipped emigrant fleets like Macross Frontier. The sort of emergency situation that results in a major mobilization of the New UN Forces and any supporting PMCs alongside them, as seen in Macross the Ride. The sort of affair that you dust off the Special Forces for. If we take Master File at its word (and a grain of salt is strongly encouraged) even the largest emigrant fleets are about 900 ships and a main fleet is the sort of thing where you're not just sending in the special forces... even a small main fleet of a few hundred thousand ships is a "get every fighter, every ship, and every reaction weapon that every planet and fleet in range can spare" sort of occasion. Like what the New UN Forces did in response to the main fleet that bombarded Spica III. Fewer than usual... those Logitech G815s hold up commendably well.

If there was a Mount Rushmore for heavy metal Ozzy would definitely be on it. Dude was a legend.

Rest in Peace, Ozzy. You were truly one of a kind, and the very best sort at that!

RIP Ozzy.

Sounds like they’ve had some issues, but this is going to some extremes. I’d never buy from them if they required that. Maybe try contacting them about the situation and explain why you and probably every customer they have wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that.

there's this too. I got my 1/12 jazz inc version with far more detail, so I'm all good. https://mcfarlanetoysstore.com/drawing-board/

I remember as a kid we didn’t have MTV because our family didn’t have the money for cable and the radio station (Pirate Radio 100.3 for those from So Cal back in the day) had announced he was gonna do an interview. I was really looking forward to it because I was curious about what he had to say. I’d never heard his speaking voice at the time, only his singing voice. Then I was just sitting in my room when the interviewer finally started and I was not prepared for the hilarity that ensued. It was like an episode of Lassie where the guy doing the interview would ask these important sounding questions and all you’d hear from Ozzy was mumble mumble mumble. The interviewer would respond saying stuff like “You heard it here first”. This kinda went on for a while and to this day , I always think back to that day and how I still have no idea what he was saying

😞

I was just watching some of his stuff. It was tough seeing him have to perform from a throne, but also joyous to hear him one last time. This one really hurts. I love Ozzy’s solo stuff and his classic Black Sabbath songs. Always on my play list on the drive to work. I think we all knew it was coming, but I guess I thought he’d have more time to enjoy his retirement

RIP Ozzy. grew up watching him and his fam.