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I also wonder if surplus destroids were purchased by several municipalities and modified for other purposes? *Imagines a destroid plowing the road after a snowstorm in December*

You'd think they'd be mostly abandoned, but not only we have said modernizations (which seemed to be popular in their own right,) but they appear as the occasional enemies in VF-X2. Initially I thought they were only used by Vinderance, a resistance group that used what they can get their hands on, who may or may not got potential backing from Max himself (that's probably the reason why their fleet is made up of the same type of Meltran ships the UN uses in there.) But come Mission 10A, Defenders, Phalanxs, and Tomahawks acted as the main defense force of the under construction Ceres Base; and it wasn't a place in the middle of the boonies, Vinderance specifically target it as it was a front line base in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter against external threats, as its wide-range jamming capabilities can divert attention away from Earth. (Granted the near identical Mission 10B where you destroy the Vinderance Base not only has the same Destroids and Annabella Lasiodora as the boss, but looks exactly the same as an incomplete Macro-Training Base Ship we see in the Macross 7 fleet, but it's Macross, you can hand wave it somehow, if not for how the Latence route almost definitively didn't happen.) My guess is that Destroids would be better suited as a economic solution to base and city defense compared to the more costly VFs since Frontier and Delta have them in those roles; though then again there were the VF-1s stationed at Apollo Base in Mars and the Diamond Fleet being relocated as City 7's defense, so who's to say?

I think they need to give the Gundam universe a rest for a bit before embarking on another new series. Take some time to really think about characters, potential storylines and series concepts, as they seem to be "running on fumes" at this point (trying to be more charitable than just writing them off as "lazy" and such). Your take on this, Seto?

DK-70.

Ghidorah Battle Damaged Version.

Lucy.

https://www.target.com/p/mcfarlane-toys-dc-direct-batman-the-animated-series-6-34-wave-5-killer-croc-figure/-/A-94692316 https://www.target.com/p/mcfarlane-toys-dc-direct-batman-the-animated-series-6-34-wave-5-classic-batman-figure/-/A-94692314 https://www.target.com/p/mcfarlane-toys-dc-direct-batman-the-animated-series-6-34-wave-5-the-grey-ghost-figure/-/A-94692317 https://www.target.com/p/mcfarlane-toys-dc-direct-batman-the-animated-series-6-34-wave-5-ras-al-ghul-figure/-/A-94692315

Whether the ISO survived through the surviving engineers who formed all of the post-war companies or simply was reformed after the war ... I'm just going to leave this here because it's true either way. https://xkcd.com/927/ Sincerely, A guy who sits on like five standards committees at the SAE. (AKA "Part of the problem")

He moved away from the industry after the death of his wife in 91, in order to better care for their kids. The last time I heard anything about him was in 2020 when he was assaulted while walking down a street in Manhattan.

The obsession to remember would be torture, leading to eventual insanity.

Same; although maybe a "Dot 2.0" or something may be good if handled the right way.

Honk if you want Badai to revive the RE/100 line.

They're probably supposed to be, in that no one thought much about the exact details of interstellar shipping and just put "normal shipping containers" in(it makes it very readable for the audience if you don't reinvent the wheel needlessly, after all). But that would actually be a little strange since ISO and the entire shipping industry was destroyed in Space War I. Granted, when the industry was rebuilt the primary initial concern would be compatibility with the equipment aboard the Macross/Daedalus/Prometheus, so there's definitely room for ISO to reach out from beyond the grave. But it also creates room for new formats to establish themselves as the industry is rebuilt and expanded, so there may very well be two active container standards(to the consternation of dock workers everywhere).

True. Considering Bandai likes to troll Macross fans and the easy money from them, it might likely end up a Japan only lottery release 🤣

Are you getting this figure or just posting? For myself it will be getting Saesee Tiin like all the other figures.

I was staring at your comparison pics and trying to see what was different about the rear window... ...and then I finally noticed the back windows on the sides are gone, replaced by opaque plastic painted grey. 🤨 Typical Hasbro, then; two steps forward, one step back (or, as you say, Hasbro "self-owned themselves") on the Bumblebee Bumblebee 2.0. 🙄

Lewis Pullman will be playing Lone Starr's son, Starburst.

Dark Source Zombies.

Saesee Tiin.

DC Direct The New Batman Adventures Mr. Freeze.

Just the liner notes and series glossary. No hard specs or anything of that nature, just a few sentences of description about how it's a scaled-down work use Destroid that's popular among civilian operators and about basic design features like its roller-equipped feet, extendible arms, and more construction machinery-esque cabin. Official coverage of the "Destroid Works" (or Work) from Macross Frontier describe it as an unarmed version of the military's Cheyenne II. It's the same basic machine, the Works version simply omits the weaponry and weapons-related systems like the large radar in favor of high-precision manipulators, high-viz paint, and warning lights since it's meant to be used as general purpose heavy machinery. Indeed. We can be confident the Cheyenne II and Destroid Works are the same size because we're told they're the same machine plus/minus combat systems, but all we know about the Workroid is that it's "smaller".

Long ago, in the days of yore (before Siege, even), Hasbro launched the Studio Series line. Around the same time Bumblebee was hitting theaters, and Hasbro made the decision not to do a movie-specific line. Rather, toys for the new designs released directly in the fledgling Studio Series lineup. Releasing as 18th overall was Bumblebee Bumblebee, and even at the time I didn't think he was very good and didn't recommend him. Based on earlier concept art, his robot mode was somewhat inaccurate, his back kibble was a mess, and his alt mode is darn near impossible to get and keep tabbed together. The designers at Hasbro seem aware of how bad that figure was. And so, nearly 100 releases later (actually more, if you count the fact that 86 and Gamer Edition were using separate numbering, and that Studio Series has since abandoned numbered releases and that guys like Que and AoE Optimus weren't numbered), Hasbro's doing their first Studio Series do-over with Bumblebee Bumblebee (116). My first impression is that the new figure is, indeed, better looking than the original. The molded details on his thighs and abdomen are sharper, his head his more proportional with bigger eyes, his longer arms, thicker legs, and bigger feet are more in keeping with the film's proportions, and the armor on his hips and shoulders is more accurate. He's still got some backpack kibble, but it tucks in tighter to his body. Likewise, having the rear of the car on his heels isn't exactly screen accurate, but it wasn't accurate on his calves, either, and shifting that mass to his heels works better with the film's proportions. And yet, for all the fixes, he still has the inaccurate door wings. They're hinged this time, so you can swivel them up and down, but you can't totally fold them onto his back like he had them in the film. His accessories are the same, but different. For starers, he doesn't have the battle mask the original release did. But he does have his arm blade and arm cannon, both of which are sporting new sculpts. In the case of the knife, I think the angled instead of pointed blade is more accurate. As for the gun, not only do I think it looks a lot better but it fixes a gripe I had with the original. This one is hollow and fits over Bee's hand, so you don't have to yank his arm off to plug the gun into the stump. Articulation is a bit mixed. Bee's head is on a ball joint (same as the original), but he's got a bit more up/down/sideways tilt range this time. His shoulders are ball joints that swivel (same) and move laterally over 90 degrees (better). He doesn't have dedicated bicep swivels (worse), but he has ball jointed elbows that act like swivels in addition to bending 90 degrees (same). No wrist swivels (same), no waist swivel (worse). His hips are ball joints that go beyond 90 degrees forward (better), but less than 90 backward due to back kibble (same) and only about 60 degrees laterally (same). His thighs swivel around hips hips, which can be a tad limited (same), and his knees bend a little under 90 degrees (worse). No downward foot tilt (worse), but pretty good upward tilt (better), plus he's got maybe 30 degrees of ankle pivot (worse and an ankle swivel (better). While the range on a few joints has improved, it's a bit of a missed opportunity to see that they didn't improve the ranges of the more limited ones, like his hips and thigh swivels, and it's downright frustrating to see a reduction in ankle pivot and a total loss of the waist swivel. Similar to the original version, Bee's arm blade has a pair of tabs that fit into slots on either forearm (but not his gun this time). As for his gun, as mentioned before it fits over his fist and part of his forearm but ultimately plugs into his fist, so you don't have to remove his forearm. The cutout for his hand means he can only use the gun with his right hand, but A.) that's film accurate, and B.) that was also the case for the original figure. Although the arm blade doesn't attach to the gun such that it looks like his gun hand is wielding it, it does have a tab on the yellow part that fits into a slot under the gun's barrel. Then you can find a pair of clear tabs on Bee's back, one tab goes through the gap in the middle of the blade while the tabs that plug into Bee's arm sandwich around the other tab, allowing his weapons to be stored on his back. Normally I separate the transformation and comparison with the deeper look at the alt mode, but this time I think it's better to put it together. Because the transformation is pretty similar; in both cases the hood and roof from front windshield to rear windshield unfold from his back. In both cases the section with the headlights unplugs from Bee's chest, swiveling up to meet the hood and simultaneously bringing swinging the doors down. In both cases his shoulders tuck under the front fenders and his arms kind of lay against the bottom of the car. The most major difference is that instead of his waist swiveling and his shins/feet shifting up toward his back, his hips swing back and his knees bend the wrong way to fill the same available space in a slightly different way. And the result is... well, it's nearly identical. This is because, while all the robot bits are new, almost the entire car "shell" has been reused. The wheels, the entire backpack, same. The rear of the car moved from his calves to his heels, but it's the same. The door and the driver/passenger windows are the same. However, the rear window piece is gone, and it and the back half the car and rear fender that folded behind the door has been replaced with a new rear window and chunk of the rear that folds behind the door. The rear fender, though, is a separate new piece. Speaking of fenders, the front tires and back half of the front fenders no longer fold to the front of his wings, they're new parts that are attached to his shoulders. The main difference isn't visual, it's how it all fits together. The original toy is an absolute mess. I got to together pretty well for this review, and let me tell you that's the tightest I've had it in years. It takes some fiddling to get everything lined up and tabbed together on the new version, but I'd rate it as more annoying, whereas the original was downright frustrating. Like the original figure, alt mode weapon storage is achieved by getting the weapons in their combined configuration, then, sticking the two protrusions on the rear bumper through the opening in the middle of the blade. Ultimately, with better proportions, a better sculpt, and an alt mode that tabs together marginally better, SS 116 is an improvement over SS 08, and if you took my advice almost seven years ago (sweet Primus am I getting old) then this is probably the figure that fills that gap you've had on your Bumblebee shelf all that time. However, Hasbro really self-owned themselves here by re-using so much of SS 08 on the new version (gonna go out on a limb and assume the designers hands were tied by either Hasbro bean counters or the reportedly demanding Volkswagen Group). Articulation could still be better and in some cases is downgraded, and even heavily modified the design simply doesn't allow for move-accurate storage of his door wings still. I'll give this version a half-hearted recommend, simply because I don't see a better option coming any time soon. Now excuse me while I figure out which version of live-action Bumblebee Hasbro has left to do (I think just four, the '67 widebody from Age of Extinction, the refreshed 5th gen Camaro from Age of Extinction, the 6th gen Camaro from The Last Knight, and the 2nd-gen '77 Camaro from the original film but with the robot from Bumblebee/Rise of the Beasts, but without the offroad gear from the end of the film that was seen on SS 100).

A shame... I know the goal was always to go for 5 seasons, but it's still disappointing to see this one end. If any recent Star Trek series deserved seven seasons it was this one.

I'd rank it even higher than that, personally... but that's mostly a reflection of my own disinterest in the Jedi as a concept. (I'll always find The Chosen Hero of Destiny far less interesting than The Guy Angry Enough To Do Something About It in the hero department, there's so much more agency in the latter character.) One thing I did not appreciate when I first saw Rogue One, but came to understand after friends coerced me into watching The Clone Wars and Rebels... Not liking Saw Gerrera is 100% the correct and intended reaction.