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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I believe that is exactly the intent. I don't know if a real incident took place as impetus, or if it's just urban legend, but I recall such a story from when I was a kid and over the years repeated. I'm too lazy to employ Google Fu, but suffice it to say, I think the intent was good but the execution a little heavy handed compared to how relaxed the laws are regarding real weapons.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Concerning Wally supplying SWAT, I was being facetious, but you get the point; it's all a bit ludicrous in perspective. And while I think we definitely have a problem with guns in our country, somehow I think they've gone just a little overboard when it comes to regulating toy guns. At the very least, the collector's market should be something separate, as most people aren't going to go around brandishing something like MP-36 to commit their crimes. Doing so itself should be a crime in my book- awesome toy abuse- minimum 20-year sentence with hard labor- book 'em, Danno! Toys are my life, so perhaps I'm a bit biased. I never gave much thought to the variety and strictness of laws from state to state, but I can understand if places like Cali and NY have far more stringent laws as I assume they have, per capita, far more crimes committed with firearms within denser populations. Still, toys, man! Alas, I step down from my ineffectual soapbox.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Makes sense. In Megatron's case, the box is excessively large for the figure and, being practical, I called it out. My criteria differs. My sole focus is always the core figure, how well each mode is executed. While there's no explicit promise of fidelity to realism, Studio Series is generally considered to be their premium retail product line, although they don't always deliver on that expectation. However, just like SS86 Prime, there's a heightened expectation for SS86 Megatron to be the 'definitive' version for lack of a more apropos descriptor. He fails that already by not turning into a pistol. I care not one whit about a small handheld version of him in gun mode when the figure itself should be the gun- it's a superfluous accessory that will remain in the box along with his energon mace and any effects parts. So, given that a gun is not an acceptable alt mode by din of US laws and child safety regs, a tank is a dismayingly acceptable substitute alt mode. The expectation then is that being Studio Series, we'll get a convincing tank with a bit more polish and refinement than the usual run-of-the-mill mainline figure with a similar alt. They did do a great job of crafting his bot mode to look like his G1 toon self without tank kibble ruining the effect. They also did a great job turning his legs and upper torso into a convincing tank base. They only needed to do something more with his scope to make it blend with the arms to affect a more convincing turret, one more bit of transformative origami but I'm guessing that's where either the budget or their supply of care simply ran out, perhaps a bit of both. To me it feels like they got to within 85% of excellence and just quit. The hard part of his design was already solved: achieving a kibble-less G1 Megatron bot mode that conceals the tank bits well. They solved the challenge of converting his gun-grip legs into tank treads convincingly. While the arms are quite a bit blockier than RW tank turrets, I think disbelief could have been better suspended if the obvious giant gun scope sandwiched between those giant grey blocks somehow transformed to blend with and compliment the rest of the turret. I'd rather the budget went to that particular bit of engineering/molding than to any accessories. Since his fusion cannon is an intrinsic part of his character, I don't consider it an accessory. I just wish they'd put forth that extra effort to make the scope form a convincing part of his turret. Hopefully, third parties will rise to the occasion with some interesting solutions. I've still never really handled the G1 Snarl or Slag toys. I believe I saw Swoop somewhere and messed about with him. I bought Sludge as a kid, and I later received my wife's brother's G2 blue Grimlock when he gave it me. Not even sure how or why that came to be. Anyway, I now have a full set of FansToys Dibots ( my first full set of Dinobots-I was so happy!), all six Combiner Wars Dinobots, all five SS86 Dinobots, and all five toy-decoed Newage Dinobots complete with chrome paint, G1 decal tampos, and the lovely clear plastic bits- pure joy and what I wish we'd gotten with the SS86 Dinos.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
That's about 2/3 more box than necessary, but it looks nice. It's nice to have the plastic windows back, even if they're not the most environmentally friendly of options. I still think it sucks that we can't have a Megatron that turns into a gun and yet you can go buy a small arsenal at your local Walmart, including enough AR-15s to outfit a SWAT unit. I digress. I'm glad Newage took the plunge and gave us Romulus; I wish more third-party companies would follow suit giving us options for our CHUG collections to either fill voids like G1 Megs or give us better versions of characters than we've gotten officially. I wish Takara would make a proper G1 Megs for the non-US market; it's not fair to punish fans outside of the US for our laws regarding toy guns. Likewise for Shockwave. I'm planning on getting this guy, but I surely hope that there will be some nice third-party solutions to render his scope a far more believable part of his turret. As is, it almost seems an afterthought compared to the care taken to engineer his legs into the tank's base, which looks great, IMHO. That turret, however, dispels any illusion and that seems antithetical to what the Studio Series is supposed to be in terms of quality, alas. I hope there will be options to fix it. Regarding the upcoming Venin (Venom) Deluxe Insecticon fig, I've never really looked at the original toy all that closely so I did some research and I'm thoroughly impressed at how well they captured the original toy. The fact that they could do unique tooling to create that character so faithfully and yet they resorted to retooling Shrapnel into inaccurate versions of Chop Shop and Barrage, and Kickback into an inaccurate version of Ransack rankles a bit.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Thanks for the info, Mike. SDCC is still over a month away, and with all the reviewer reveals, I would have thought they'd do the official SS86 Megs reveal sooner rather than later, if for no other reason, to take advantage of the momentum. Moreover, I'd guess they'd have something bigger to show off at the Con. Anyway, I wish they would project these things to allay conjecture and help fans to plan for PO days. I got Venom, Micronus Prime, and Alpha Trion through Hasbro Pulse (gotta make that Premium fee pay for itself). I was at the doctor's office trying to do it by phone and I was having a heck of a time trying to use Paypal, my usual payment method. I ended up just using my card and finally got the order to go through. I fully expected Venom or AT to be sold out quickly, but having just checked the site, all three of the figs I POed this morning are still available. Had I known that that would be the case, I would've waited until I got home, but you never know with these things. Anyway, when they finally put SS86 Megatron up for PO, I fully expect it to sell out very quickly, so I'm hoping it falls on a day when I have nothing scheduled. Digits crossed.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I'd be even happier if they gave Ransack his own mold that was closer to the original toy's, as a Kickback repaint just doesn't quite capture the look. That said, they likely won't do that so at the very least, I'm hoping for the Kickback repaint rerelease to complete the roster. And thanks for the YT info. I watched it, but they didn't cover SS86 Megs, which I think was the main draw for a lot of fans for today's stream. So I'm hoping the stream to adresss that, and subsequent POs, will be soon.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I'm assuming the Studio Series stream will be on Hasbro Pulse's YT channel at 11 AM ET tomorrow morning. Please do correct me if I'm wrong. I don't wanna miss that one. Like many, I was expecting SS86 Megatron to be officially revealed /go on PO today, but since I'm going to be at an appointment right when POs go up, I'm kinda glad it's another day. I do, however, want that Venom- he just looks fantastic! I have all the other recent Deluxe Insecticon releases except Ransack, so not too bad. I'm hoping Ransack will get his own release at some point for those of us who didn't buy the multi-pack. Micronus Prime has my attention as well, as I dig motorcycle Transformers, and a monocycle (that works) is a pretty darn cool and unique alt mode. I also like the rider/bike- guy w/ armored suit thing that they did. All those things speak volumes of mecha coolness and I'm down for it. Onyx Prime is a pretty cool looking fig as well, although I'm probably gonna pass on him. I'm on the fence concerning Alpha Trion; I don't necessarily care for his alt mode, but it is based on concept art from way back, and I like that he comes with the Covenant of Primus, even if I have no real familiarity with it. I like that the book actually has a few pages with details. That's a cool, apropos accessory for the character, and we so rarely get accessories that aren't some sort of weaponry.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I liked what they did with Chase, but I thought Heatwave missed the mark by too much, so I passed on him. I would've liked to have had the Prime Cliffjumper repaint of Chase, but he came in a pack with other figs I didn't want, so again, I passed. Hopefully that particular fig will get his own release in a year or so. As to the other Rescuebots, I consider each on its own merits at how well the update captures the original toy, but I've no burning need to have them in my collection. For me, they're more of a curiosity than anything. Thanks for the review, as always, Mike!- 17265 replies
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Not at all into One Piece, but cool for those who like it. Too, new sets and new themes always bring the potential for new parts, so that aspect interests me. So wish LEGO would get a Macross license, even if it means likely no VF-1 due to HG. All those other valks would be fair game, though. Realistically, however, I think we'd be far more likely to see a Gundam license given its global prevalence. I'd be down for that, too.
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Man, it figures that the fanstream is on the 10th; I'm getting laser surgery on my eye at the time of the stream. Fortunately, i should be home by the time POs go up.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I've been looking for Soundwave, but on my most recent visit to Target, they had no Earthspark stuff to speak of. There's another location I may have to try. The only other Earthspark fig I entertained a fancy to was Chaos, but again, I never saw him in the store. I can't remember seeing Jawbreaker, either, for which I had a mild interest. The Earthspark stuff isn't as interesting to me overall as the G1, Prime, or Animated figs, so if I miss out, I don't really feel like I missed out, if that makes sense.😄 That said, Soundwave is more interesting to me than these others, so I would like to track him down. Mayhaps I'll have to resort to using one of the e-tailers. Edit: So I just returned from walking the pooch and decided to cast about on the interwebs for Soundwave. There are five stores within about a 60-mile radius listed on my Target page and not one of them has him. Perhaps we just haven't gotten stock on this side of the country yet. Ebay prices are typically exorbitant, TFSource doesn't carry him or Hashtag (or really much of anything Earthspark), so my guess is this really is pretty much Target exclusive and until my stores start stocking him, assuming they will, I'll just have to remain vigilant on their site.- 17265 replies
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The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
It stands to reason, since they're tackling all the other combiners, that they'll eventually do Defensor and likely move on to do both Abominus and Predaking. Heck, if they're feeling ambitious, they might even do a CHUG version of Raiden. At the very least though, with Bruticus a sure thing, Defensor is not far behind. Since I passed on the CW version of Defensor, I'm curious to see how they'd turn out under this new approach. I hope there'll be less mold sharing, and more new molds, as it'd be nice to see Blades get his own mold since he was a Huey whereas Vortex's alt was the larger Kaman Seasprite. They're somewhat reminiscent in overall shape, though, so I imagine Hasbro will just go the repaint route. Anyway, with an unknown commander slot, and with all the various continuities' characters that could occupy that slot, it's anybody's guess. A little mystery in life is good, though. Conjecture is fun. When I mentioned Blackout, I was referring to Animated Blackout whose toy was never released here in the States, and whose toy goes for a small fortune now on the secondary market. Derrick Wyatt definitely took heavy inspiration from the Bay character, translating him in his own particular style, and I really like it. Actually, I agree with you that Blackout and Barricade were two of the best Bayformers character designs. I'll throw in Brawl, too. I bought the leader class SS Blackout from a few years back, and it was a really well-done figure. Unfortunately, the hands were molded in an odd position and couldn't be rotated, That shortcoming was fixed in a slightly retooled rerelease, but I didn't feel the need to double dip. Anyway, this is what I want by way of update in the Generations Legacy , etc line. I doubt it would be a much better toy than the original, but at least it would be an opportunity for folks like me who missed out on the original to get a facsimile while flipping the bird at all those greedy SOBs on ebay selling the original toy for exorbitant prices. I would hope he'd at least get the voyager treatment, though I'd happily pay leader price for something really well-done.- 9312 replies
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The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
As misery loves company, I'm heartened that it wasn't just me, as I have a tendency to have difficulty getting things to work smoothly with some of my transforming toys, and it erodes confidence especially after watching some reviewers do it effortlessly. I always have a feeling of inadequacy despite 40-plus years of messing with these damnably awesome things. To that end, hopefully our conversation here will prove helpful to other recent owners of Fugu's Jetfire, especially if, like me, they're hindered with a touch of self-doubt. As of right now, I entertain no plans to ever remove those Packs again, so I likely won't find a need to employ your fix. However, this being a KO and with even high-end toys being subject to stress breakages and other unfortunate calamities, there may come a time when I need to disarm him and do some repairs at which point I'll gladly heed your advice. Thanks for the encouragement! I appreciate your advice and guidance; there are many reasons why I love this site and these forums, but the humanity behind the screens, the kindness and sense of shared joy and experience and helpfulness among the members makes it a virtual home. Thanks for that.- 9312 replies
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The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
You're such a tease, Mike. You know me- I want that titan to be Animated Omega Supreme. I'm still hoping they'll dip further into Animated and give us a Blackout update. Honestly, they need to do all the characters and do them faithfully to Derrick's style without the G1 mixed in. I'm keeping my expectation low, though. Animated still has a following, but beyond Hasbro's latest meager dolings, nobody has really capitalized on it. I think it's an opportunity lost. I'd be curious to see Newage or Magic Square dip their toes into Animated waters at some point in their legends lines, and to see both upscale more of their legends figs to CHUG scale. I'd love to have Magic Square's take on Ironhide/Ratchet at CHUG scale, the best take thus far by any company. And IMHO, their Doomsday is still the best version of G1 Megs ever realized in plastic. I've pretty much stopped collecting MP scale, with minor exceptions, but I'd love to see what MMC would do with Animated- my god would those be amazing figs.- 9312 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I've been lukewarm on the show and the toys, though I've got Twitch, Thrash, and Nightshade thus far, Nightshade being my favorite of the three. I was intrigued by this take on Soundwave from the initial revelation, and my interest has only piqued further thanks to your review. I'm hoping Pulse will get him soon for preordering. The only thing this guy is missing is some sort of chestborne minion, and given that his chest faces the ground in alt mode, optimal for payload delivery, the omission of said minion, perhaps a drone that turns into a bat, bird, jaguar, or little blue dude who likes to shake things up is notably disappointing and dismaying. I totally agree with your suggestion of exhaust vent details in the backs of the thighs, as that would have looked great for both modes. Perhaps there'll be an add-on kit that does just that. While he's not the most svelte aircraft with all of that obvious bot kibble on his underside, he's still better than most and we don't get many flying wing alt-moded TFs. I wish he'd been larger and more refined with perhaps some retractable gear and the aforementioned chest minion, but as-is, he's a neat take on Soundwave, much like his Prime counterpart, within the annals of Transformers media. As you also mentioned, the placement of the feet, which would have looked better had they rotated 180 to let the tops of the feet form rounded shapes on the underwing, perhaps as conformal fuel tanks, and the inability to recess the hands are minuses against his alt mode, but he does still present a thin profile and I like that his shoulders form part of the plane as well as the unfurling of the legs into wings, a la Mindwipe, as you mentioned (one of my favorite transformation techniques in a flying alt mode in recent history). Overall, he's a pretty solid entry, especially in the Earthspark line, and one of the more unique and fairly well executed aircraft alt-moded bots to come along in a while. IMHO, he's better than all five of the abysmal Aerialbots put together and I happily await my opportunity to get a copy.- 17265 replies
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The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
So my repair was successful. I ended up buying two packs of different sized wire nails. One was pretty close, but I had to file tit down to make it thin enough to fit. But fit it did. Getting the old one out was a pain; I was using a pin vice to try and tap it out. It's located in such a difficult area, as it moves and there are obstructions aplenty, but obstinate persistence won the day! I only did the one shoulder as the other side's pin seems to have enough grip on both sides of the joint to remain together and functional, so I'm going to leave it for now. I loosened the screws on both shoulders to ease the tension on those joints. I armored him up today and the arms are holding solid thus far, so 👍. I noticed the leg armors don't snug as nicely around the legs as the Yamarcadia ones do, as there's a gap between the leg stabilizers and the indent in the armor that's meant to cozy up against them. The gap seems to be worse on my copy's left leg than the right, but neither snugs up as tightly as it should. I can press them into place, but they just sag back again. I scratched the paint on his backpack a little trying to get the large back thrusters into place. It fought me a bit, but again, persistence paid off and a second attempt got the central frame to slide all the way into place so the large tabs on the Packs could plug into the backpack. I haven't put a set of packs on one of these 1/60 VF-1s in some time. In fact, the last one for me was the VE-1 Elint Seeker about three years ago, and I don't recall its being that difficult. Anyway, it's done and overall, it looks pretty darned good. I received the trans-red covers for the FAST Packs, and while I appreciate the inclusion and their ability to show off the glorious innards of the Packs, I prefer the opaque red ones for optimal Jetfireness. This toy is all about nostalgia, after all- from the original G1 packaging to the attempt to match a goodly bit of the original toy's paint and stickers (wish they'd committed to going all the way with paint and tampo as it would've been worth an additional twenty-thirty bucks to not have to deal with blasted stickers), this thing was directly targeted right at us greying old Transformers fans, and I'm here for it in celebration! A decade ago, I never imagined that so many holes in CHUG, especially pertaining to first season, would be filled, but between Has/Tak's mainline offerings over the last few years and third-party offerings like Newage's Romulus and Fugu's Jetfire, there's not much left wanting for a complete first season collection. We just need HasTak to come through with a Windcharger and, oh how I wish, some Omnibots and that would be a nice cap on the collection, especially if Hasbro is serious about scaling back their toy production. I hope not yet but should that day come when they stop making Transformers toys, I'll be content with my collection. I'm thinking third party would be all over that void anyway, so we'd still be bombarded by new takes on old characters into perpetuity, and for that I say, "Thank the Matrix".- 9312 replies
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The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Excellent, you've given me hope. I was holding off taking a walk to the store (conveniently, there's a new home improvement place about a mile from my house, similar to Home Depot but smaller and owned by the local Native American tribe) waiting to see if anyone had a suggestion, so huge thanks! Guess I'll sojourn over there to see what sort of wares they might carry, be it paper clips or small thin nails. Paper clips are ubiquitous, though, and far easier to procure and manipulate, so it's heartening to know it's viable. Hopefully I won't destroy the joint in the process of removing the old pin, but again, I appreciate the heads up!- 9312 replies
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The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
My Fugu Jetfire finally arrived today and while in the midst of trimming some of the excess flash I discovered to my dismay that the pins holding the shoulder ball joint flaps on are too short so that, at least on the left side, it only penetrates one side of the hinge allowing the other side to sag precariously when manipulating the arm. The right side seems like it has a stronger hold (for now), but its pin, too, seems to have been clipped too short and it's only a matter of time before it too sags under the weight or stress. Suggestions welcome for what may work as a replacement. I was thinking about trying to find a heavy-duty paper clip. Anyway, other than the issues already pointed out, I'm pretty pleased with this fig. The coopting of Yamato's V2 VF-1 was a good choice, and at 1/60, he's still at a workable scale relative to CHUG. More than the unlicensed use of the Yammie(Arcadia) VF-1, I'm gobsmacked by Fugu's audacious and unapologetic unlicensed use of the original G1 artwork both front and back of the box, minus a few Engrish misspellings in the bio. That's pretty bold. In hand, though, it definitely invokes some serious nostalgia. I'm hoping Toyhax will eventually get around to making a small set for this guy- at least something to address the lower legs, which still bear their original Macross livery.- 9312 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
That's a rather jarring size difference! That said, I'll take Romulus all day long over the SS86 fig, as he presents accurately, has excellent articulation, and can turn into a proper Walther P38ish pistol, which is what separates a proper G1 Megatron from every wannabe G1 Megatron that doesn't. Don't get me wrong, as I like what Takara has done with exception of the tank's carelessly realized turret which, IMHO, spoils all the effort put into the tank's well-done base. Moreover, at nigh $60, one is not wrong to expect a little more from a leader class toy and that more couldn't have been done to make that turret more believable within that budget. Anyway, I intend to get him, but I do certainly hope the third-party upgrade kit makers come up with some nifty fixes to address that particular glaring wart.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Wow is right as in "Wow, could Takara & Hasbro top themselves and create some of the most egregiously terrible aircraft modes ever??!! You bet they can!" Wish these guys were better, but they're all equally awful. For those who pine for obnoxiously bad aircraft modes and blocky bots, Hasbro has you covered. I've always liked Transformers and Zoids, and this should appeal to me, but it doesn't. Neither the shoehorning of Optimus, once again, into an odd crossover nor the execution really speaks to me. Great for those to whom it does and have wished for this.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Yeah. While it's nice to see it, I'm patient enough to wait for official revelation at Hasbro's discretion, as I enjoy the anticipation and excitement of the designers and marketers who present these things after pouring a lot of work into them. This, we all know, was a big deal, and I kinda wish the leakers had just let it be. Alas, it's all about viewer numbers these days and less about integrity or respect for the company.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I'm having a tough time determining if they're black or a gunmetal color, but it looks gunmetal along with the scope/fusion cannon, both of which should be unquestionably black. I hope there's a 3P add-on kit featuring a transforming scope that folds so as to present a corresponding grey upper turret surface, perhaps with hatch cover detail, and the back halves of the scope rotate and swing around to fill out and give a better shape to the back of the turret. As is, it just doesn't look very good, certainly not up to the standard we've come to expect.- 17265 replies
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I have to commend Takara, as this their most convincing effort thus far at producing a G1 Megs bot that turns into a relatively believable modern tank. However, the turret is a bit of a letdown, as it does nothing to disguise the fact that it's a giant pistol scope pinched between two arms, and that's a shame given how well the lower half turned out. Honestly, I'd have happily paid the commander price for the additional engineering to make that turret look more believable. Additionally, the pistol barrel sticking out of the scope isn't winning any credibility points either and it just looks tacky. It feels like 90% of their effort was spent on getting the body and legs to form a convincing tank base, and then they just kinda gave up when it came to the turret, recycling the same old technique used before with zero regard for pesky realism. The dark grey color of the legs is a bit of an odd choice, as well as the color of his waist skirts. Seems like Mark or Evan would be all over that to correct them, but I have a feeling what we're seeing is pretty close to final. I like the chunky proportions of Megs; overall, they really nailed the G1 aesthetic and that was likely the priority over all. To that end, I'd say they succeeded. Unless Hasbro let this slip accidentally on purpose, this is quite a coup, as I'm sure internal anticipation was high to reveal this on a fanstream. Genie's outta the bottle now, though.- 17265 replies
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Preach! They've made cloth bits for far more superfluous or obscure figs when this particular version of Leia has been beggaring a cloth skirt for some time. Agree completely with recreating those old notched wedge plates, albeit with stud cutouts along the edges. They may be uglier, but the added usefulness of that modification would be worth it. For my part, I wish they'd make more Mixel ball and socket joint-related parts, especially more socket parts. I really wish they'd resurrected the old brick-built homemaker hands, 1x1 hollow-studded round plates with ball joints. That seems like such a no-brainer necessity that it boggles my mind that it wasn't part of the original Mixels release, let alone STILL having not been done. To partner with that much needed part would be the analogous socket on a 1x1 round plate with a hollow stud. Too, a 1x1 or 1x2 plate with a vertical socket would be extremely useful. Since I primarily build mecha, the number of omissions around joints is still rather disheartening, especially when I see other LEGO-compatible products come out with parts that LEGO should have already included in their palette as the premiere building system. Ball joints are great, but man would I love it if they added a series of ratcheted Technic pin joints that would allow for more controlled and stiff movement at that small level. Technic pins on their own generally lack the requisite friction to be of much use, especially the new pin design which has less friction than any previous version. Ratchets at that scale would open so many possibilities. When I'm building, I often notice the lack of certain parts, many times the same ones, that would be extremely useful and seem, to my mind, to be no-brainer parts and yet they've not been produced. It's infinitely frustrating so I empathize with your plight.
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I suggest keeping an eye on New Elementary.com, as they are, to wit, the only LEGO fan site that keeps astutely abreast of all new and recolored elements on a continual if obsessive basis. I've found them to be an excellent resource, as I'm always interested in what new parts are being introduced for my MOCing needs and they are generally on top of new releases with both set reviews and parts breakdowns. Disclaimer: I have zero affiliation with New Elementary beyond being a fan, but, like Bricklink, they are a huge resource to FOLs and, IMHO, deserve to be recommended at every opportunity. As to those parts you pointed out, I agree. I, too, wish they'd make more types, as well as versions with studs. My parts wishlist is long, but LEGO has really been pumping out interesting and useful parts over the last few years, many of which were only available before by buying other "clone" brands, who in many ways, were way ahead of LEGO for years in their parts innovation. I still wish they'd make plates with studs top and bottom for simplified SNOT building. LEGO's playing catchup, but themes like Speed Champions are driving the addition of long sought highly useful wedges, slopes, tiles, etc and I hope that trend continues unabated.