mikeszekely

Grabbed it on Steam this evening.😉 Too bad SOTN and Rondo of Blood are still stuck on PlayStation...

So I gave this a lot of consideration. 1. No, I don't even have space for all my Transformers. 2. Variable mecha only, but in a perfect world at least one of every major Variable Fighter until around the VF-25, when they started looking kind of samey to me. 3. I care far more about the mecha than the pilots. The only "hero" scheme I really dig is the white with yellow and black Skull Squadron deco, so I might go for Roy's VF-0S when I want a VF-0, Roy/Hikaru's VF-1S when I want a VF-1, Ozma's VF-25S for a VF-25, etc. Beyond that, I think I almost prefer non-cartoon designs- I think the YF-19 and the Emerald Force VF-19s are particularly bad, and I'd rather prefer some of the decos from the Variable Fighter Master Files books. 4. Referring back to 2, in a perfect world, VF-0, SV-51, VF-1, VF-4, VF-5000, VF-9, VF-11, VF-14, VF-17, VF-19, VF-22, VA-3, and VB-6. with the option to collect a few different model variants, later VFs, and Macross II or other non-canon VFs. I don't care if they're in-scale with any other toy lines, but they should scale with each other. 5. Collectability isn't a factor at all. I'll hunt for good deals on used figures, especially if it's just not available new anymore, but I'm definitely not going out of my way to collect older or rarer figures and paying out the nose for them. 6. Yeah, I'd like something a bit sturdier that can stand up to being handled, and I prefer as little partsforming as possible (ideally none). With all that in mind, I bit the bullet and ordered my first Macross toy... a used Hi-Metal R VF-4G. In a vacuum, I do think I might have preferred the premium Arcadia, but the fact is that the Hi-Metal R stuff isn't just cheaper they seem to have the largest selection of mecha, the largest number of variant models and decos for those mecha, and are the easiest to actually find stock of. I figure, if I like it I can start collecting other Hi-Metal R VFs, and if I don't like it I can either switch to Arcadias or just stick with my Transformers. When it comes I'll let you guys know.

As an American I'm aware of, but largely unfamiliar with, the ZX Spectrum. But I hear Brits talk about it the way us Gen X Yanks talk about the NES. If they ever did a mini console version (like they did with the C64 and the Amiga) I'd pick one up out of curiosity.

That's about the only element of Needlenose, though, and by that criteria it could just as easily be Combiner Wars Cyclonus or Silverbolt. Or next year's new Silverbolt, for all we know. Honestly, I think it might just be a new mold that doesn't look like the Fire Valkyrie in bot mode because it's not the Fire Valkyrie, it's a crossover (even though I'd be curious to see a Macross Valkyrie with the chunky robust playability of a Transformer...).

This is actually a really good point. Toho is notorious for how tightly it controls it's licensing (I blame that movie with Matthew Broderick that is definitely not a Godzilla movie). I mean, if you think about it, isn't every time they release a figure like Delta Magnus, Cordon, Riggorus, DK-3 Breaker, etc already a Diaclone x Transformers situation? But I'm not in charge of labeling these Takara crossovers (even if I should be).

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Surprisingly, the two main Transformer sites I follow haven't mentioned it yet. That silhouette isn't much to go on, yet, so I'm curious but not really excited. As for the rest, well, I made a post in the Transformers thread.

Thanks to @DeltaE27 for bringing this to my attention, but the T-Spark stuff is continuing in Japan with a ton of crossovers. In fact, before the year is out, we'll be having preorders for Megatron Godzilla (Megodzilla?) and Optimus Kiryu (apologies for the crappy images, I'm literally grabbing screenshots from an hour-old YouTube announcement). EDIT: Preorders this fall, doesn't actually release until next summer. Sorry for the confusion. Kind of weird choices for repaints (and a light remold?), but as a Transformers fan and a Godzilla fan I'm into this. I just wish they'd put more effort into it. Like they could have remolded the dino arms on the Grimlock mold to make them look more like Goji's arms, added some spines, etc. And Laser Op was already hampered by using the Siege legs, it's going to feel extra dated after Commander Optimus hits. For something a bit fresher, how about a Zoids x Diaclone x Transformers Shield R Optimus in 2025? I'm not into Zoids, but I wouldn't mind having this for my Prime collection. Maybe Zoids fans would be peeved if the Shield Liger alt mode wasn't blue, but as a Transformers fan I think they missed a beat by not making him white and gold like Lio Convoy. And hitting closer to home (since this is a Macross board), it's just a silhouette but this is our first hint at a Transformers/Macross 7 Fire Valkyrie crossover, also in 2025. I can't think of a recent mold that has a silhouette like that. Nor does it have a particularly Fire Valk shape. I'm curious to see more. They also announced a Transformers x Monster Hunter, but didn't have anything to show. The rest of the video is Zoids crossovers (Spider-Man, Monster Hunter, and Patlabor, if you're interested, with the Spidey one being shown in both red & blue and black variants. Vid's on Youtube here, if you want to watch it yourself.

As long as the figure itself isn't damaged. The box itself getting a little beat up will actually make it look more like my Jetfire's box.

Oh, and @M'Kyuun might be interested to hear that Dr. Wu is working on a Micromaster-scaled Prowl (and Kickback). Don't expect him before the second half of 2025, though. The good doctor has a ton of stuff already in the pipeline (Megatron, Cliffjumper & Shockwave, Warpath & Scourge, plus their repaints and remolds, plus some more tapes...).

I mean, I guess whoever they got to finish their Hun-Grr did a pretty good job of matching the aesthetic of the other four... but I wasn't really into that aesthetic in the first place. Until someone does a proper MP Abominus I'll stick with Ordin. On the other hand, Magic Square is upscaling their Legends Bruticus to MP, and so far so good. Hopefully Magic Square will considering upsizing a few more of their Legends figures *cough cough Megatron cough cough*.

I kind of want to pick up another one myself. Toyhax has some really nice Roy Fokker Skull Squadron labels.

If it helps, ShowZ is pretty good. I've bought from them many times.

Same.

Ugh, didn't get to see Ghostbusters after all. Don't ask me why it is I go to see Gremlins and there's like four people in the entire theater, but Ghostbusters was completely sold out before I even got there. Got my tickets for Indy in advance.😒

I like all the movies I'm seeing this week, but Robocop is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time.

Eh, she just turned 9, and she's always been a bit on the timid side. Still scared of the dark, she won't admit it but I think being in a dark theater makes her anxious by itself. Stuff like Gremlins would probably give her nightmares. As for me, though, my friend I've been going to see these movies with had never seen Gremlins at all*, so I figured even if it's a bit of a PITA to get to the theater we're having fun and we can take turns driving, we went. We'll be back Friday for Ghostbusters and Sunday for Temple of Doom. *He's never seen Robocop, either. Unfortunately that one's not in theaters (as it wouldn't come out for another three years), but I think we're going to have to do a movie night at home one evening.

I definitely want to, I love Gremlins. But half the theaters around here closed, and the closest one playing these movies is still a PITA drive. Plus my wife andkid don't want to go, so I have to go myself or find friends that are available.

Dunno where else to mention this, but Cinemark is celebrating their 40th anniversary by playing movies all week from 40 years ago. I'm going to see Terminator tonight and Ghostbusters on Friday. If I can get some friends to go with I also want to see Temple of Doom on Sunday. Haven't decided if I want to go see Gremlins tomorrow or if that's too many evenings spent watching movies that are way better than the movies they make today...

My Fractured Friendship set arrived today. Let's take a look. On the one side, we have Gladiator Megatron. Folks on a certain other board are being pretty hard on this figure, because a) it's yet another reuse of the Siege Megatron mold, and b) it's a straight repaint of last year's Amazon-exclusive Miner Megatron, no new tooling (on the figure itself). So there's a sense of been there, done that, and with the darker grays and caution stripes some people feel that Miner Megatron was already the superior deco. While the base figure might not have any new tooling, he does come with two new accessories that are pulled straight from the IDW comic Transformers: Megatron Origin #2. You get a sword (that he used to stab the Cy-Kill stand-in, and again later in the issue) and a sort of Energon hammer (that was actually Cy-Kill's weapon, but Megatron uses to to finish him off). Megatron's instructions mention (and I don't know if i covered it or not last year) that the pickaxe and drill can be combined into a sort of spear. The pickaxe and drill can still be stored on Megatron's back, while the sword and hammer have tabs that allow them to plug into his shoulders. Transformation is, naturally, the same as Miner Megatron, into a sort of drill tank. So, I guess you'd better not loose his drill, and pickaxe, eh? With no changes to the mold, though, there's no place to store his sword and hammer. Coming with Megatron is Supercop... er, Security Officer Orion Pax. Similar to Megatron, we just got toy representing this IDW take on the character in an Amazon pack last year. Unlike Megatron, this isn't a repaint meant to represent a slightly different phase of the character's life, it's basically a do-over of the exact same Orion Pax as a cop before he became Optimus Prime using a heavily remolded Gamer Edition Optimus Prime instead of Siege Hound with a new head and chest. Pax has a new head, new shoulders, new forearms, a new chest, new alt mode kibble on his back, new legs from the knees down (minus the pipes), and new forearm guns/pipes. It's kind of impressive that more of Pax hasn't been retooled, because while not totally perfect the retooled bits go a very long way toward making Pax significantly more accurate. The new legs and feet boost Pax's height, reigning in the gorilla arms of the Gamer Edition figure and bringing him up closer to Earthrise Prime in height. The bigger size coupled with proper shin vents, blue hands, a non-blue crotch, pipes on the shoulders and legs, arm guns on his forearms, and a mask on his face really highlights what a poor choice it was to use Siege Hound for Pax in the first place. Pax comes with the same gun that the Gamer Edition figure comes with. However, as his arm didn't transform into a gun in the comics, a new part has been inserted into it to add a 5mm handle. Despite being Orion Pax and not Optimus Prime (although, if you read Stormbringer, you might notice that that only real differences between Pax and Prime prior to scanning an Earth mode are mostly color tweaks), Pax's chest still opens up to reveal a Matrix. And his right forearm can still be removed. If it pleases you, Pax can swap his right forearm with Gamer Edition Optimus... ...and his right stump is compatible with Gamer Edition Prime's gun. Or, you can remove a screw from the bottom, take out the new part, and Pax's gun is Prime's gun. Pax's severed forearm still has the 3mm peg on it that allows you to store it on his butt. Transformation is very like the Gamer Edition figure, with the backpack forming the cockpit and nose, his sides rotating around to form the sides and front wheels at the front, his shins and the sides of his legs folding up to fill in some gaps, his arms tucking under the vehicle, and his feet filling in the spaces vacated by his shins. His rifle pegs onto the back of the vehicle the same way, using a pair of tabs under the gun to grab into slots on his feet. His arm guns, unfortunately, need to be removed and partsformed onto the sides of the vehicle. Honestly, Pax's alt mode was barely seen in the comics, so I don't think it's the end of the world if it's not 100% accurate. And in many ways, it's fine- red at the front, blue at the back, arm guns and leg pipes on the sides, cockpit on top with a louvered nose and chest-windowed lights/fenders. I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't point out, though, that in the comics Pax's rear was more obviously folded-over legs, that there was a vent of sorts that's missing here, and that the front tires were so large that the fenders didn't cover the tops of them. That said, the blockiness of the figure lends itself well to a Cybertronian truck, and again it's extremely impressive that they got something this different out of the Gamer Edition mold with a few remolded parts as they did. Pax even has a new trick that GE Prime doesn't; after folding up over his shin cavities, the feet actually split in half like slices of bread, with the lower slice folding back down over the rear that the GE figure simply left with exposed fists. Like I said earlier, Megatron's getting a lot of flack in this set, but I don't think it's totally justified. Like, yeah, they've reused the Siege mold a lot... but the Siege mold was pretty good in the first place! And this version, despite the lack of new tooling, has a deco that fits him neatly into the progression from a miner struggling under an oppressive caste system to gladiator beginning to rebel against that system to warlord fighting to overthrow that system to the tyrant invading other planets to fuel his ambitions. I like Gladiator Megatron just fine! That said, though, people aren't wrong when they suggest that Pax is the star of the show here. This is one of those cases where the remold might just be better than the original, as it addresses some of the flaws I had with the Gamer Edition Prime figure. He's a "sorry guys, we messed up" from Hasbro, because he demonstrates rather definitively that Hasbro never should have used Siege Hound for this character. I mean, I put Toyhax labels on him, and got aftermarket shoulder pipes, forearm guns, and a face mask for him, and the new version is still far more accurate and better-scaled. If you have that Pax, you can pretty much throw him away, he's trash now. This is the Pax that should have come with Senator Shockwave. All-in-all, a very solid set and well worth picking up.

Eh... don't get me wrong, I like NIN, but I'm not sure I like the fit for Tron.

Dunno. I just tried logging on from a Tokyo server and got an error about Disney+ not being available in all regions. Tried again from an Osaka server and was able to get in with the "looks like you're traveling" message, but the only Macross that's coming up is Frontier, Delta, 7, and Plus. No Zero, SDF, DYRL, or 2. Can confirm Delta has English subs, though

I wasn't able to find any Arcadia VF-4s under $244, but I can preorder the HMR reissue for $130. I'm rounding the Arcadia up to $250 and a pair of HMRs down to same, but close enough to double. Admittedly, it was a very quick search, not serious and patient hunting.

You wouldn't happen to have any Transformers to use as a size comparison? I ran out of shelf space years ago. Most of my Transformers collection is in boxes. Out of curiosity, what'd you pay? After a very quick search the only Arcadia VF-4s I could find were priced 2-3x the HMR (though prices for various VF-1s seem more reasonable). I'm most interested in having at least one VF-1 (probably Fokker's VF-1S), a VF-4, VF-17F, VF-22 (Diamond Force), YF-19, VF-19S, and VF-11 (I prefer C, but I'll take B). Maybe a VF-5000. Dunno which of those are even available (though I saw that the VF-2SS exists in HMR... I'd be tempted).

Using my VPN to pretend I'm watching from Japan isn't a huge hassle, but was there any word of any of this making it's way to US Disney+?

Let's see... a 1/100 MG Gundam is about yay tall... and the VF-1 is shorter than Gundam, so... a little bigger than an Earthrise Seeker? Maybe around the size of Top Gun x Transformers Maverick?