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There was some silly stuff but whatever. I'm kind of glad that the show is set 100 years outside of stuff we're most familiar with. It lets creators who've got then own wild and crazy ideas a chance to play around without ruining things. Maybe it ends up being good. If it stinks at least no damage was done.

I had the exact opposite reaction, I wanted to look away, but just couldn’t stop staring at its head.

Still a bit salty I never got my die-cast Serenity...

I was so thrown by the fact that the Wookiee was wearing clothes that I completely missed that he also had a shaved head and a topknot. That part is normal for Star Wars. Bottomless pits without any kind of safety rails seems to be a galaxy-wide engineering tradition.

That wasn’t as jarring as it’s shaved head They also don’t have walkway rails since OSHA hadn’t set her standards yet

I think, if I have to go mad looking at all those Springer toys, I'm going to share that madness with you guys. But what about all those official Springers that came before the current Siege one? Well, there are four of them, but I'll spare you guys a little and do this in two parts. The first two Springers we got we repaints of Cybertron toys. In 2007, Cybertron Defense Hot Shot was repainted and sold as part of a souvenir two-pack at BotCon. A year later, Evac was repainted and sold in a Universe Target two-pack. Now, the thing is, I don't actually have BotCon Springer, and I couldn't bring myself to spend over $100 on what was very likely a $10 toy when it was Hot Shot. Nor do I have Hot Shot. But I do have Universe Roadbuster, who was also sold in a Target two-pack and also uses the Cybertron Defense Hot Shot mold. From a sculpt point of view, I guess I can see how Hot Shot's head is a little like Springer's. But, even with all the brown plastic done in gray, with green thighs, green forearms, and a some green on the head and chest (along with black and, surprisingly, some blue), I don't know that I'd say there's anything about him that's particularly Springery. By and large, that's true for Universe Springer, too. Evac's helmet does have a similar shape to Springers, and the green and gray deco (this time accented with yellow) is suggestive of Springer, but the sculpt from the neck down lacks details that make you go, "oh, Springer!" As far as accessories go, BotCon Springer would have come with a knife like this one, but with a bit more green paint on the blade. Speaking of blades, we have these permanently-connected, definitely not a sword ones for Universe Springer. As repaints of Cybertron toys both would come with red Cyber Planet Keys like the one here. Universe Springer also came with a pair of gray missiles, but after two moves since getting the figure and never being big on missile firing gimmicks in the first place, I couldn't find them. Overlapping as it did with the start of the Classics line, there's a part of me that lumps Cybertron with everything between Classics and Siege as semi-modern, but I should point out that Cybertron did just come right after Energon and Armada, which weren't exactly pioneers in engineering and articulation. In the case of BotCon Springer/Hot Shot, his head swivels, no tilt. His shoulders rotate, but they only get about 45 degrees laterally and then only when his arms are straight down at his sides; he's got Hot Rod shoulders. He's got no bicep swivel, no wrist swivel, and his elbows only bend about 60 degrees. He's got no waist swivel. His hips can go 90 degrees backward, but less than that forward and only about 45 degrees laterally. There's no thigh swivel. His knees bend 90 degrees. His feet can kind of tilt up, due to his transformation, but they don't tilt down or have ankle pivots. His knife has a 5mm handle, and he can hold it in either hand. However, both of his arms have another 5mm port on the front of his fists, and you can put the knife there like an arm blade. When not in use, the knife can store in a clip on the slide of his left leg. His backpack has a hinge so it can lift up, pointing the guns over his shoulders. Each gun has it's own up/down swivel. There's also a slot for the Cyber Planet Key, which causes the guns to pop open to reveal a barrage of missiles inside. Further missiles can be exposed by open flaps on his shoulders and spinning some panels on this thighs. Finally, though they don't activate any gimmicks, he's got a port on each of his forearms for Armada Minicons. Universe Springer/Evac fared a little better. His head swivels, no tilt. His shoulders rotate on ratchets, and move laterally 180 degrees on more ratchets. He does have a bicep swivel this time, and his elbows bend 90 degrees on ratchets. No wrist swivel, but his wait can... on ratchets. Hips go 90 degrees forward, backward, or laterally... all ratcheted. His thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees on ratchets. His toes point down, but no upward tilt, and no ankle pivots. The blades plug into the engine housing permanently attached to his left arm, where they kind of just get in the way. Under his right arm he has a big hook with a gimmick; you can pull the rope out on a hook, and pressing a button will cause it to reel back up. It's kind of cool. The Cyber Planet Key isn't super useful in this mode, as it just causes some thruster on his backpack to flip around to fire missiles... straight into the air. The tail boom on his back has swivels that you're supposed to swing out like wings for his "attack mode," but you have to do that manually. A downside to just repainting random figures is that only one of these guys has a "car" mode, and it's BotCon Springer/Roadbuster/Hot Shot. Transformation is pretty simple; his head flips up, his arms collapse into his shoulders, and the shoulders fold up over his head. His hips bend forward as his pelvis actually folds back, then they collapse over his thighs. You finish it off by doubling-hinging his backpack backward and tucking his feet into his shins. The result is an APC, and it's pretty cool. It looks even better in the mostly-gray with green trim used on the BotCon toy. My only complaint would be that the heels are still sticking straight out the back, though since Cybertron used CGI based more closely on the toys than G1 ever was one could argue that it's accurate for Hot Shot. Except, I don't associate Hot Shot with APCs, even when he briefly was one. Sports car or GTFO. As for Springer... it's a more realistic ground-based military vehicle than his G1 car. But then again, it's not his G1 car, so... The backpack-turned-turret can swivel, and again each barrel can swivel up/down independently. The Cyber Planet Key still pops the guns open to reveal the missiles, but the front bumper also pops open with still more missiles molded inside. The knife can fit into the same clip as bot mode, but it's actually designed to fit into a groove on the inside of his legs, sandwiching inside them with just a bit of the 5mm port poking out the back. Universe Springer is also cursed to have a solitary alt mode, but instead of the ground vehicle he goes for the helicopter mode. His waist rotates, then double hinges forward to form the cockpit and nose, and his arms unclip from his sides then fold in front of his chest to make most of the rest of the fuselage and engine. His backpack comes up to form the rest of the engine and nacelles, and the tail simply folds back behind it all. Is it Springer's Cybertronian/futuristic helicopter? No. As the mold began life as Evac, what we get is actually a fairly realistic helicopter that borrows heavily from Aérospatiale/Airbus's Eurocopter line. And, I'll remind you, at the time Classics/Universe figures were often more reimagining than copying G1, so a realistic helicopter wasn't necessarily out of place. Excellent helicopter, then, no notes, save for a passing mention that in the same year Universe Springer came out this figure was also used for Universe Blades, but Blades had an even better Coast Guard deco. Universe Springer has landing gear that can fold out from under the nose, or tuck in if you prefer. The hip skirts make the rear landing gear, and it folds up if you prefer a more in-the-air look. The winch can rotate and the hook can still be pulled out, then retracted at the press of a button. Speaking of buttons, there's one on the side of the engine that causes the rotor to spin, which is cool. The Cyber Planet Key plugs in behind the engine, and the nacelles swing forward to fire missiles. It makes a lot more sense in helicopter mode, where they actually point forward. That was basically it for Springer until 2012. I think that gave collectors with the cash and inclination real incentive to pick up Fans Project's Warbot Defender. For me, though, Universe Springer served as my Classics/Universe/Generations Springer. Unless you were actually at BotCon in 2007, BotCon Springer is too expensive and extremely dated, so I wouldn't recommend him. As for Universe Springer, well, his robot mode enjoys more articulation and his alt mode is actually a very cool helicopter toy. And I think, for me anyway, I associate Springer more with his helicopter mode than his car mode, so if you can only keep one alt mode helicopter would be it. That said, there are better Springers in modern times, and if you really want to experience this mold the Blades version not only has a better deco, it seems to be cheaper on the secondary market. Go for that one instead.

New episode just dropped... and the title's the overused word I loathe the most in all of Star Wars: "Destiny". Looks like the writers were in a mood to get all that pesky exposition out of the way so Mae can get back to posing like an idiot and talking like an edgelord. I know this is an incredibly trivial nit to pick, but why does every character who appears in a flashback always have to have exactly the same haircut as a child that they do as an adult? I don't know anyone who kept the same haircut for their entire life. Can I just say how unnatural a clothed Wookiee looks? For real. I guess I'm so used to seeing Chewbacca go around letting it all hang out that seeing a Wookie wearing more than just a bandolier and a smile just feels weird. I suppose it's a nice bit of continuity that we see the Jedi use the same testing methods here that they used on Anakin in The Phantom Menace. All in all, it's a backstory dump an entire episode long and yet it doesn't feel like it added anything substantial to the story. It confirmed Mae has always been at least a little bit of a psychopath and why Sol and the twins all believed one of them had died, but that's about it. This is the TV episode version of the meeting that could've been an email. Tuesdays at 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific).

Saying that PO's from Japan will save you 66% vs buying from a US retailer is not helpful because it is not based on what you will actually end up saving once all required costs are added......it's unrealistic and I think most here can see past the sensational markup posts by now.....

Agreed. Having more purchasing options beyond PO Madness is a good thing.

It is a large markup, but its final size depends on the choices you make. Your key assumption is that most people are chasing the lowest possible price. That is not always true. I would rather pay a bit more to work with a very stable, very reputable store or proxy (in Japan or the US) than trust a small operation that might fold at any moment and take my money with them--just to save $25-50 on an item that may never be released again. But that's how I feel about the risk. Others might feel differently. You can keep shipping cost from Japan to a low number by utilizing slower options, consolidating shipments, etc. It also does not cost Bandai more than a few dollars per unit to put these toys in a cargo container and move them to the US, so there is a very large price discrepancy between what they sell for in Japan and what they sell for here that needs to be recognized. I know we joke about the "old collector tax," but it's real. The marked up prices in the US are about convenience and how much we're willing to pay for it. I point out the difference between Japan MSRP and US prices so that we, as a community, can have a conversational starting point about that convenience cost and make the best purchasing decisions for ourselves. Your comments, mine, and those from other MW members are all helpful in getting us where we want to go. At this point I think we need a pinned answer to the question of what costs to consider for all four options (Retail from Japan, TWE from Japan, Retail from Overseas, TWE from Overseas). It could be a small table, something like this: Retail from Japan generally doesn't include taxes, but it depends on the store. TWE from Japan does include taxes on top of proxy fees. Then there is shipping from Japan, with a range of prices and waiting times. US retail involves taxes (or should in almost all cases), shipping, and a long wait time--on top of an undisputable markup from Bandai for the convenience of not having to deal with PO Madness and overseas shipping. How you view that markup depends on where you shop and the choices you make.

The hands it comes with are good, but I think it would be neat if someone came up with articulated hands like I’ve seen some aftermarket ones like this. https://toydojo.com/products/kfc-kp-08-ultra-magnus-mp-22-hand-upgrade-set?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=4e9025997&pr_rec_pid=6755171238050&pr_ref_pid=6755177562274&pr_seq=uniform

So in ROTS....Palpatine talks about Darth Plagueis' ability to 'create life'....wonder if that originates from these 'Force witches'....

I guess this show updates on Tuesdays then? For some reason I was thinking Wednesdays. Maybe because of X-Men 97.

Fandom: "Do something original!" "Must have characters I know!" 🙄

The only reason that for me it ranks slightly above the Obi show is that it’s not ruining a beloved character or characters. Just a bunch of crappy characters that I don’t care about in a show I don’t really care much about.

Available to preorder from Entertainment Earth.

Not worth it frankly. All the goods ones were taken long ago. Now nothing but a sad parade of tired, worn-out soldiers. Anything remotely resembling collectible quality is going to cost you a fortune.

MGS Sith Infiltrator.

August 23 and 24.

I'm totally in for one. I'd love to get my hands on a Takatoku VF-1S GBP set. https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1225830371&ref=list&keyword=Takatoku vf 1&lang=en That one. And a VF-1J would be really nice too. My only hopes is to have the money in hands as soon I see an opportunity.

Good episode. More pieces to the puzzle, but we're still missing some key pieces, I think.

Well that explained....nothing

If you have some extra cash, you should consider buying some vintage Gakken/Takatoku toys, send them over to AFA to be graded, pay for the priority tier, and have them shipped back to you at cost. It's super cheap, I promise.

yt stuff slowly trickling in... https://youtube.com/shorts/-j7ZHpPC4po?si=rnEJqiz3fi6SB1Ec maybe coz it's yt-shorts, but really not sure why it's not embedding instead...