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How can I put this gently? That's her doing her job. One of a producer's main responsibilities is ensuring that the production is as profitable as possible for the investors and whatever network, studio, theater company, etc. is putting the production together. Hell, there's an entire classic comedy movie built around the premise of producers abusing their financial authority for personal gain: Mel Brooks's The Producers. That's more an indictment of him than a defense of him, TBH. Like Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas is an auteur weirdo who isn't a very good writer and functions best when he has a small army of people filtering and polishing his ideas for him. As Harrison Ford once said to Lucas about his writing "You can type this sh*t but you sure as hell can't say it." Filoni is a promoted fanboy, and like many promoted fanboys working on franchise fiction he's blinded by his profound affection for the source material. He has a very narrow view of what Star Wars is and what kind of stories Star Wars can tell, and that's reflected in his body of work. He's an imitator not an innovator. His creative "comfort zone" is what Star Wars was when he was a regular fan. It's a sucker bet that his attachment to The Clone Wars has a lot to do with it being where he worked with his idol, George Lucas. That's why so much of his work feels like Expanded Universe franchise slop. He's not interested in broadening Star Wars's horizons and exploring what new and different kinds of stories the setting could accommodate. He wants the comfort of the familiar. So what he writes are elaborate and unnecessary backstories for minor/secondary characters and factions (e.g. the Tales anthology) and various forms of The Continuing Adventures stories built around established characters and their descendants that are positively infested with fanservice, continuity nods, and tie-ins. Everything has to revolve around the Jedi and/or tie back into the Skywalker Saga too, as though they were the center of the universe and literally the only thing happening in the galaxy. Not being crap is kind of what sets Andor apart in the first place. It stands out by not being franchise slop. Filoni builds Star Wars stories around tie-ins and references to other stories, pre-established characters, homages, and other forms of continuity porn. The character writing in his stories is never better than mediocre because the story treats the characters more like props than people. Their interactions are shallow and superficial most of the time because they're just filling time between action scenes. Andor is character-first writing. That's why it's so much better than the others. It takes pains to ensure the audience gets to know the characters as people and get invested in the struggles they face. Not just the protagonists, the antagonists too. References to other Star Wars characters and titles are little more than set dressing because all attention is on the interactions between the characters. You could take it out of the Star Wars universe and it would be just as compelling because its connection to the rest of Star Wars is not a main focus of its story. This is a perfect example of the above. The Mandalorian's third season was where continuity nods and whole-plot references to other Star Wars media fully overtook Din's story as the driving force of the plot. The whole thing is an attempt to tie up a plot thread from The Clone Wars that Rebels had already picked up and run with. Ahsoka was an unasked-for continuation of Rebels after that story had reached what was Very Definitely The End (Rebels itself being an almost-direct continuation of The Clone Wars) that only really exists to get two fan favorite characters back into play: Thrawn and Ezra. Its story is extremely heavily dependent on Clone Wars tie-ins to the Mortis Gods arc and the Witches, both of which were kinda dumb even in their original context. The Acolyte is a promoted fan creator's love letter to Expanded Universe media and has a plot structured almost entirely around callbacks to Prequel Trilogy and Clone Wars events. Its writing suffered terribly because its characters and entire first season story were largely irrelevant to the story's actual goal of introducing the mentioned-but-never-seen Darth Plagueis and providing a backstory for the terminally underdeveloped Knights of Ren. Its showrunner was so sure everyone was as invested in her fanservice as she was that it lost the audience almost right away and got cancelled before it did any more than hint at its goal. That's a problem with franchise fiction. Once a franchise is popular enough, finding a creator who understands the assignment but can balance affection for the source material with the need to tell a compelling story that is accessible to everyone is REALLY FREAKING HARD. Star Wars, as a cultural icon, is stuck with a lot of writers who adore Star Wars and thus are mostly writing Star Wars fan fiction and finding a capable writer who isn't a fan and will put in the effort to tell a compelling story is a big ask.

What's up with the non-painted joints on the ATM-09-ST Scopedog releasing in February when the Melquiyan version goes back to the old way? If the wanted that unit to be different then the RSC release they should have just given it a different unit #. I thought the new joints where an update to make it better but then they go back to the way they where previously coated!? Sort of don't get it??? 🤔

Great little prop effect @electric indigo! Over here the BUFF is getting some decals today! Those lines on the rear were slightly stress inducing but I decided to take the discretion is the better part of valor, easy-er route and slice them up before applying... But they look EXACTLY like they are supposed to look so YAY me? Academy thinks you're going to do them in 2 parts... Yeh.... Right... LOL 😂

Since I’m getting a better grip on using my phone camera I took a few glamor shots of a previous build I’d like to share. This is the 1/144 IMS LED. I’m a sucker for these fancy paints yet they allude me when trying to take a photo.

I don’t necessarily think we need more like Andor, just less crap. Mando had a decent first two seasons, but that third was trash. Ashoka was crap and the Acolyte was also garbage. They just need better writers overall. I personally don’t care who’s in charge or whatever, but something big needs to change with the writing and how these shows are put together. The acting and effects are fine, but just like everything Disney, the writing is where things are failing. And they don’t even have to be the worlds greatest writers, just not the garbage writers they currently employ

Yeah that’s a great idea!

It’s definitely a great effects pice. You’re gonna have to try it on a helicopter kit someday

"Armament optional parts for HI-METAL R scope dog" that is can be ordered at the same time as HI-METAL R scope dog (MELQUIYAN FORCES) unit. This set comes with plenty of optional parts to strengthen the separately sold "METAL R Scope Dog". SWAT-38, 9 Tube Shoulder Missile Gunpod, GAT-49min, 50mm Pentatrooper (are new shape so far), SAT-03 Solid Shooter Bazooka and ATC-BR1-S Round Mover, and their lineups are abundant. " A special pedestal with a large title logo of "Armored Trooper V.O.T.O.M.S." is also included.

That came out great! Such a neat idea with the prop. I remember you posted some tests you were doing with those. It really came out great and does convey a sense of movement/energy. The photo composition is also wonderful at that angle ♥️ so vibrant too.

Hobby Japan Web has released more detailed images of the ATM-09-ST (MELQUIYAN FORCES) unit. Not a lot of things we didn't see, but some nice closeups of the mech..... We deliver plenty of gimmicks that you are interested in from the "HI-METAL R Scope Dog MELQUIYAN FORCES) Equipment" that you are receiving orders to newly shaped accessories! In addition, we also introduce the weapons option parts that can be ordered at the same time! [ Armoured Trooper V.O.T.O.M.S.] It has been decided to release the "Scope Dog (MELQUIYAN FORCES)" and "Armament Option Parts for Scope Dogs" that were exhibited at TAMASHII NATION 2025. This time, we will verify what kind of specifications each one has. "HI-METAL R Scope Dog (MELQUIYAN FORCES)" is currently being made available to ordered as a Tamashii Store sales item. " He appeared from the first episode of "Armored Trooper V.O.T.O.M.S." and is an AT that fought with the unit that Chiriko transferred. In the product, the coloring of the HI-METAL R scope dog has been changed to purple in the MELQUIYAN colour. A newly shaped large weapon GAT-35 Long Gun and a ATP-BP1-ST Parachute Pack are included as accessories. The AT pilot's action figure is also included and can be put in the internal cockpit. The body is colored based on purple. Each part has a different mark from the previously released Scope Dog, and the crest of the MELQUIYAN army can be seen on the left waist part. The GAT-35 Long Gun, which became a newly shaped weapon, is quite large as an AT weapon, and it has been a weapon that has been rarely commercialized so far. Clear parts are used for the muzzle and lens, and the scope part is movable according to the head camera. The barrel can also be held with one arm. Another new optional part is the parachute pack. It is an impressive equipment that was used when descending to the city of Udo. The fabric and belt parts are shaped with an emphasis on texture. In addition, 3 spare magazines are included at the bottom. The parachute pack has a movable hinge in the center, and you can take a landing pose even when worn on your back. When the upper hatch is deployed, the parachute contained in the bag is exposed. This also contains details such as wrinkles and strings. Publisher/BANDAI SPIRITS Collector's Division, through (Hobby Japan Web) I really like the colour combination that Bandai has chosen for this unit! Hope it looks just a as good in hand!

After watching the first two episodes....

They're blinded by childhood nostalgia for the Clone Wars. See I never watched the entire series. I just saw a couple episodes each season. Usually the best and worst episodes. His fans only give him credit for the good ones. Average them out and he's just mediocre. If you include his live action it is just more mediocre.

That would be cool on its face, and perhaps usher in new designs to boot. I would also hope that in some way it'd annoy Harmony Gold.

It wasn't for everyone, but when it comes to people saying Dave Filoni is a genius or makes fantastic shows, I generally tend to remind them the awful mess that was Star Wars: Resistance, his third animated series considered by many to being one of the worst out there with cringe characters and poor storyline.

The debate is on:

I'm sorry, but that's just not accurate. And Filoni being a student of Lucas is a mark against him, not for him. He has every bad tendency and instinct that Lucas had. And there was so much chatter about Filoni disagreeing with the direction Andor was taking Star Wars that Gilroy had to defend him to stop the gossip.

My main issue with KK with her strong producer resume is that she put profit waaaay ahead of art. Filoni is a student of George Lucas and sees the art and source of Star Wars first and brought new amazing ideas. That being said, Star Wars needs moar ANDOR themed media and I hope that isn't lost.

The propeller is working 😄

Have to agree here: Filoni is part of the problem.

I do miss not having the Misa 1/6 scale figures. I was at the '97 Hobby & Radio Control Fair at Tokyo Big Site where ARII were exhibiting the yet to be released Macross figure line that featured most of the fully painted 1/6 scale figures along with the 1/100 scale VF's. I was allowed to pick up the Roy Fokker figure to view. Both the Roy and Milia figures were a stand out among the other figures. At that stage I had video showing all of the displays. I lent out my normal camera to my friends to take photos of the things they liked at the fair. By the time we got out of the hobby fair, I realized that none of my friends bothered to take any photos of the ARII displays. I was too busy going around taking video myself of everything to stop and grab my normal camera. The photo below is the only surviving image of anything Macross (Bandai) from the '97 Hobby & Radio Control Fair.

Robocop 2.

Marvel Legends Retro Mysterio.

Just started rewatching Frieren S1 today and only just realized that S2 already started, lol... I just knew it was scheduled for 2026 but didn't bother to know when exactly it would start. 5 eps in and I'm still amazed I'm not bored (like @Big s was... but not his cat, apparently ) seeing as I'm usually more into action-packed and fast paced shows. I thought I would be skipping a lot of stuff like I usually do during a rewatch, but I find myself digesting every bit of dialogue and replaying scenes that may have some unspoken meaning. Will start S2 when the 2nd episode airs.

It's great to see pics of these items when they were still crisp & new, especially these 1/6 PVC figures. Those that have survived today would have the clamshell at least partially yellowed, and the picture frames some shade of sand. It's a pity they didn't manage to release all they have set out to do; the Miria would be nice. Thanks for sharing.

Right now it's Friday night locally, so I hope you guys tune in over the weekend. Because I'm wrapping up the week with Leader-class Studio Series 86 Soundwave. Soundwave's giving off the same sort of vibes as Thundercracker... he's taller than the Netflix/Legacy toy, so he scales better with SS86 Megatron, and most of the greebles of the older figure are simply gone. It's most evident in his shoulders, which are smooth blue slabs, but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that he does still have some details, like extra squares on his knees, a little extra details on his shins, and those circular bumps on his forearms. These are details that seem likely to have been pulled from MP-13, which in turn were likely inspired by the G1 toy. There are other improvements, though. His pelvis is shaped more like the cartoon. His backpack is bigger, but in a way that's actually closer to the Sunbow model. There's red paint around his forearms and shoulder cannon (the Legacy release had them, but I had to paint the Netflix version myself). The molded missiles in his shoulder cannon are also painted. His butt flap is a little smaller, and the backs of his forearms don't have the vestigial Siege landing struts. The insides of his forearms have flaps so they're not just hollow voids. Even his calves have traded the textured look for faux volume dial and power switch. The red paint on his shoulder cannon can also be found on his other accessory, his concussion blaster. Weirdly, this is a step back from the Siege/Netflix/Legacy version. The tip, which retracts inside for storage, is turned 90 degrees from what it should be. Now, there are definitely people on the internet madder about that than I am, but I do think it's a problem that someone should have caught before it went into production. I am looking at potentially modding it, so the tip extends and then rotates into place, but I can also see why people dropping $60 on a Leader-class toy might be hesitant to mess with it like that. Soundwave was a Leader in Legacy, too, where he came with an additional gun and a trio of tapes. Once again, Soundwave gets that Leader price point by being packaged with a trio of tapes. They're all brand new molds, but here's how they look with the older Micromaster versions. Like other tapes in the Studio Series like, they also come with add-on bits that the Micromasters didn't. While Netflix Soundwave came with Laserbeak and Ravage, and Legacy Soundwave came with Buzzsaw, Ravage, and Rumble, SS86 Soundwave comes with Laserbeak, Ravage, and Buzzsaw. I guess all of us who already bought Netflix Soundwave and SS86 Rumble and then bought Legacy Soundwave just to get Buzzsaw are kicking ourselves. Well, lets break down the new molds real quick. Buzzsaw and Laserbeak are similar to their prior versions in that the heads and necks flip out, and the feet fold down. Rather than have their boosters fold out of their butts we instead have booster packs that plug onto their backs. The main difference is in the wings. Instead of simply swinging them out from the sides, they unfold then swing back, sort of like the MP versions. Some have suggested that the shape of the wings on the Micromasters are more accurate, and I'd say that's both correct and incorrect. The wings on the Micromasters are shaped more like the G1 toys, but I think the SS86 versions have wings shaped closer to how they were drawn in the cartoon. One more joint to bend half the wing back more would have really sold it, though. The new boosters with the guns are also more cartoon accurate, but their chests aren't as open as the Micromasters, so they can't angle their necks as far forward, and since they're not Micromasters they lack the flip-out 5mm pegs that were useful for plugging them onto Siege/Earthrise/Netflix Soundwave and Megatron's forearms. My biggest gripe, though, reserved specifically for Buzzsaw, is that they didn't paint his beak. Laserbeak can kind of get away with that, but it's a glaring inaccuracy on Buzzsaw. And then there's Ravage. Ravage is an improvement over the previous mold in engineering, proportions, and cartoon accuracy, but that's like saying getting a D this quarter is better than getting an F the previous one. Like, sure, he's got a tail, and he doesn't have an undersized head and twig-thin forelimbs and paws sprouting from massive biceps and thighs, and sure, his hip rockets aren't vestigial molded details, but he's hardly got a lithe, catlike body, especially with those massive hinges in his neck. Poor Ravage got the mumps! There's also the Brazilian butt lift to add a 5mm peg to his tail part, and the fact that his paws still aren't the right color. I don't think we're here for the tapes, though, so back to Soundwave. His head seems to be on a ball joint, with a little up/down tilt and swivel but no sideways tilt. His shoulders can swivel and move laterally over 90 degrees. Due to his transformation, his shoulders are designed to breakaway from his torso so they can fold back, giving him a backwards butterfly joint, but there's another hinge in there that gives him a forward butterfly joint that nothing to do with his transformation. It seems to exist just so he can better reach the "buttons" on his pelvis. Moving on, his biceps swivel, his elbows bend 90 degrees, his wrists swivel, and his fingers (which are all molded together as one part) are hinged so he can open his hands. His waist swivels, and his hip skirts move so that his hips can go just a little short of 90 degrees forward and backward and just a little over 90 degrees laterally. His thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees. His feet can tilt up 90 degrees, but nothing really downward. His ankles also can swivel and pivot 90 degrees. Soundwave can hold his gun in either hand, and his missile launcher plugs into a port to the right of his head. If you don't want Soundwave to hold his gun, you can collapse the tip and plug it into a 5mm port on either side of his backpack. Of course, pressing the button to the left of Soundwave's head will open the door on his chest. His new tapes fit inside, as do the older Micromaster ones. I know some have lamented that he can't accommodate the G1 or MP tapes, but this approach makes more sense, I feel. For one, there's the matter of proportions. Soundwave's G1 toy has a much larger torso proportionally, and it's why MP-13 wound up using the same size tapes. For two, we've already had so many tapes released in the mainlines, both as Siege/Earthrise/Legacy Micromasters as well as SS86 releases. It's far more important for SS86 Soundwave to be compatible with those. Speaking of compatibility, you might notice that there are tabs on the outsides of Soundwave's arms near his elbows. These tabs aren't for alt mode. As near as I can tell, it's for the condors. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw both have little notches in their feet that seem designed to fit over the tabs on Soundwave's arms, allowing them to perch there. I say "seems," though, because the fit is not particularly tight and only marginally better than just balancing them on his arm in the first place. One more thing to note about the tapes... the booster packs for condors and the tail & rockets for Ravage both have 5mm pegs on them. They can be swiveled (or the rockets can swivel around them, as it were), so Soundwave can technically use them as weapons on his own. Soundwave's transformation is a lot like the Netflix/Legacy toy. Remove his gun and shoulder cannon. Open the flaps on the sides of his backpack, then pull the backpack (along with the head) back, then tuck the head in and close the backpack. Plug his weapons into the ports along either side of his backpack, then fold the backpack flaps over so they tab onto the weapons. Swivel his waist 180 degrees, open his forearms and fold the fists in, close his forearms, then fold his entire arms back alongside his weapons. Open a pair of flaps on the backs of both legs, swivel his feet 180 degrees, then fold the feet up into his legs. Fold out the flaps on his heels, then close the larger of the two flaps you opened on the backs of his legs. Leave the other flap open. Lift his butt flap, and swivel his thighs 90 degrees. Move his hips outward 90 degrees, and bend his knees so the backs of his legs plug into the sides of his torso where his arms were. Speaking of arms, they'll actually tab onto the legs at the shoulder and near the wrist. Open the two flaps from the inside of the butt flap, then fold it down to fill in the rest of the front. Finish it off by pushing his knee vents in so the sides of the alt mode are flat. SS86 Soundwave improves on a lot of the issues I had with the Netflix/Legacy version without totally fixing them, so they're mostly still there. Like, his arms and backpack don't fill out all the space on the back of Soundwave's alt mode, so there's still gaps, especially between his arms and under the backpack. But, his backpack at least tries to hide the stored weapons better. I think a big complaint is that his legs fold the same way as the Netflix/Legacy toy, which is to say backward, so the shins form the sides of the tape deck instead of the backs of his legs. Thing is, I kind of get why they went this route. The sides of the tape deck are silver, like (most of) his shins. The backs of his legs are blue, for cartoon accuracy, which would make the sides of the tape deck blue, which isn't cartoon accurate. There's also the matter of the waist swivel, and the fact that his pelvis buttons are not the tape deck buttons. This turns his legs around, so the fronts of the tape deck would have to be the outsides of his legs instead of the insides. Again, this doesn't work for cartoon accuracy, where the outsides of Soundwave's legs are blue and have bump outs while the insides are silver. I don't think they absolutely had to do it this way; MP-13, after all, uses his actual pelvis on the front of the tape deck, but I can see how trying to do it on a Leader-class budget, a good portion of which went to the tapes, may have been difficult. In any case, tucking the feet in and using flaps on the heels to seal the gaps, lining up the legs with the chest better, pushing the knee vents in, and tucking the butt flap in flush with the legs does at least make SS86 flatter, smoother, and tighter. Again, improvements all around, even if only minor. Except for one thing that is not improved. That's the color on the bottom front of the tape deck. On SS86 Soundwave it's just blue, straight across the bottom. I thought this looked odd to me, because the Netflix/Legacy toy has silver, the G1 toy has silver, and MP-13 has silver. To make sure it wasn't a toy thing I looked at his Sunbow control art, and it's silver across the bottom. Thinking it might be a case of sometimes silver but sometimes not, like the stripe on Prime's cab, I even watched a bit of the '86 movie. And when Soundwave transforms to play back Laserbeak's recording for Megatron, sure enough, silver on the bottom. Well that's unfortunate. Now I feel like I'll have to buy some future store-exclusive or premium Takara version if I want an accurate alt mode deco. Or, as you guys were cynically suggesting with Thundercracker, wait a few years for Hasbro to run through their popular G1 characters and start over yet again on new molds that are even more slightly (but never perfectly) accurate. Anyway... not a ton Soundwave can do as an immobile box. His tape deck door still opens, and you can still insert and remove his tape minions. There's a pair of 5mm ports on the back of the tape deck that I found I could use to plug in the condors' backpacks or Ravage's tail... except that's two ports for three tapes. Make's the empty space under the backpack seem a bit wasted... one more 5mm port on the underside of the backpack could have really been useful. In a lot of ways, Soundwave is a lot like Thundercracker. Thundercracker has a lot of little improvements due to being a brand new mold instead of an enlarged and improved version of the Classics Seeker mold, but still isn't perfect, and was hardly as groundbreaking as SS86 Megatron or Optimus. Soundwave has a lot of little improvements due to being a brand new mold instead of being retooled from his Siege toy, but still isn't perfect, and is hardly as groundbreaking as SS86 Megatron or Optimus. He comes with Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage who are all improved a little from their Micromaster versions, but still aren't perfect (especially Ravage). But, just like Thundercracker, those little improvements are meaningful enough that I can overlook the imperfections and still feel it was worth upgrading. He gets the recommend from me. But I totally understand if you're good with what you already have.