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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    In a perfect world, all these non-G1 figs would get their own molds that correspond aesthetically with their particular series, theme, or line. Alas, in a world of ever-shrinking budgets and ever-increasing overhead, we are worlds apart. From the instant I saw Alchemist, I thought "Prime Bulkhead" immediately. My mind hasn't changed, and I think it'd be a wasted opportunity not to do a slight retool and crank out another somewhat G1ified Prime character. I can also see what you're seeing insofar as retooling and repainting him into Prime Ratchet. They could easily get a twofer out of this mold. A trinity if they make an Earth mode Prime Ironhide.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I fence sat on Alchemist too long before he was sold out on Pulse and I've yet to see any of the Primes in a store. Anyway, I wouldn't mind a repaint of this guy, but IMHO Animated Ratchet isn't a good fit as neither mode, nor the transformation, is right for the character as he appeared in the show or as the OG toy appeared. I have the OG toy, and honestly, I think an extensive retool/repaint of WfC Earthrise Trailbreaker would be a far better choice. I contend however, though the transformation is GREATLY simplified from the OG toys, that Alchemist would make for an excellent Prime Bulkhead. I know they already released a Legacy Prime Bulkhead, but that toy in nearly every regard shared far more similarities with Animated Bulkhead than the Prime version. All things being equal, they could just release this guy with a retooled chest and a new head and market him as Animated Bulkhead, at which point I'd consider him my modern Prime Bulkhead fig. Honestly, I wish they'd abandon the necessity of homogenizing every non-G1 look with G1 attributes. The distinctive looks are what set them apart from every other series and I wish Hasbro would honor that. Moreover, I find the very different looks of both Prime and Animated appealing and I'd rather the toys adhere faithfully to those looks without trying to pigeonhole everything into one big G1 melting pot when the original intent for Animated and Prime was to distinguish them from G1 and other series. That same mindset should inform the toys as well.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Oh, goody. I enjoy the heck outta this series even though the topics that are most near and dear, LEGO and Transformers, have already been done. I don't always care for the editing, as they make a lot of cuts in the testimonials by the people who were there for comedic effect, and I'd rather hear everything they have to say. The 80s was a special time, and I doubt, given the trends over the decades since, that anything like it will ever happen again. I think it's important to get the stories from these folks who created all these toys, many of which have become iconic. Too, these guys and gals aren't getting any younger, so the impetus for capturing their words, their memories and anecdotes is all the more significant.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, Coeur D'Alene's not that far, but I don't really enjoy driving, so it's a bit of a haul for me, as I live in Airway Heights. I don't even like driving downtown, TBH, but I make the occasional trip for appointments and infrequent visits to shops and such. I tend to stick close to home and I walk lot. Similar story for my Wally and Target today, minus the Bonecrushers. I saw them in stores briefly, but it doesn't seem like any stores here have been restocking them. But the TFOne Bees (both versions), Retro Gears, AotP Red Alert for a while but dwindling of late, the Transformers for really young kids that nobody seems to buy, and yeah, the terrible SS Q, of which there were two copies, all seem to be warming the pegs. I think if Hasbro abandoned all the kiddy Transformers toys and put those funds towards the mainline and Studio Series, y'know, the lines that us older fans are supporting with our disposable income, nostalgia, and considerable passion, we'd perhaps get some higher quality toys and stores would have far less stock that pretty much goes nigh entirely to clearance. Too, stuff like the Earthspark line could benefit as well. It doesn't have the prestige or funding of the aforementioned lines, but some interesting figs have come out of it, and I think it's good that Hasbro does lines like this just to add some variety. It'd be nice, however, if these lines weren't exclusive to a single retailer who may or may not stock the toys in a timely manner, if at all, in the case of both Earthspark Soundwave and Hashtag in my area. Out of five stores within 40 miles of my house, apparently only the Coeur D'Alene, ID store has had Soundwave, but not today. What's worse is that Hasbro Pulse doesn't have them either and their proprietary site should be the one exception to exclusivity, at the very least for members. My rant won't change anything, but it feels good to vent. It's just a bit frustrating when these things aren't available and meanwhile scalpers are charging 4-5 times MSRP for them when I should be able to walk into any of the three Targets closest to me and just pick up a copy or order one for delivery. Sigh.
  5. M'Kyuun
    So, the Coeur D'Alene Target didn't have Earthspark Soundwave. I called Target before going out there and they said they didn't have him, but I'd already gotten my wife's hopes up so we drove out to Cracker Barrel. And then we went to Target so I could look for myself. All they had were two copies of Twitch. Bummer. So I drowned my sorrow by visiting a second-hand LEGO store, buying a vintage Blacktron set and then venturing down the street to a second-hand toy store and buying a brand-new factory-sealed copy of FansToys' Hunk. The owner acquired a tidy collection of third party and official Transformers toys from a lady whose forty-something year old son died from cancer. RIP to a fellow fan. I'll give his copy of Hunk a good home until it's my turn to become one with the Matrix. Likewise. I used to see a lot of Retro Bumblebees, too, but now I mostly see Gears. I have the regular release and feel no need to double dip for a different face and deco. I do think it's cool that Hasbro's providing that option, although Retro Bee was pretty much Retro in name only. IMHO, they should've used SS86 Bee for this release as he's much closer to the G1 toy.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I'm thinking, other than perhaps a change in color tinting, there likely won't be much difference between the retro version and the standard release. Anyway, he doesn't look too shabby. I still like the TR version, but this looks to have some better proportions. If this is anything like retro Gears, he'll be warming pegs for a while. I'm still trying to find Earthspark Soundwave. There are five Targets within 50 miles of my house, and the furthest one (38 miles) shows they have one copy tonight. I may call in the morning and see if they'll hold it for me. There's a Cracker Barrel in Coeur D'Alene and my wife and I like eating there- perfect excuse to make the drive and then make my way over to Target. I don't know what the deal is, but none of the Targets in my area, so far as I've seen, have carried it yet and you can't just go on a main Target website and order it and have it shipped, as it's all geared towards local stores. Hasbro Pulse doesn't carry the Earthspark toys, which is pure bovine excrement, so your only way to get it, without paying exorbitant scalper prices, is to try getting it from your local Target store. If they don't carry it, for whatever reason, then you're essentially out of reasonable options. Considering that this is a toy line geared for kids, it shouldn't be this difficult to find.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Nope, it's part of the tapestry of Superman's long and varying lore. I don't particularly care for that interpretation, but I concede that it exists and I didn't lose my 💩in the theater when the full message was revealed. Nor did anyone else who was watching (probably about 6-8 of us for the matinee yesterday). In truth, I'd go see it again, as I enjoyed more of the film than not. I wish Gunn hadn't used that interpretation, but at least Clark, in this corner of the Superman Universe, has doting parents in the personages of Martha and Jonathan Kent. And being an optimist, Clark can continue to cherish the first part of the message as he has for years while just ignoring the latter half. And people certainly do overreact to stuff, especially trivial stuff like a movie. It's entertainment- it's not your health, it's not your job, or your house, or a child, a partner, a parent, a friend in need or worse. It's just pictures on a screen telling a story for a couple of hours. "Nothing to get hung about", to quote the Fab Four. If a disagreeable moment or two in a movie is the worst part of your life, you're living a rather rare and exceptional life. Be thankful for those of you to whom it applies.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Unfortunately, the Jor-El (or Jor -L, as it was originally spelled by Siegel and Shuster) Wiki doesn't go into detail concerning the ethics of the character early on beyond the fact that he was a scientist who tried to raise the alarm concerning his rapidly dying planet, and having his warnings dismissed and falling under suspicion of the Science Council, constructed a ship to save his son. Both of those are positives, but it doesn't really go into detail what Jor-El intends for his son to do once on Earth. However, the fact that Superman keeps a hologram of his father in the Fortress of Solitude for advice, at least, it seems, during the Silver Age of Comics in the 50s, points towards Jor-El's ethics as being highly moral- no subjugation of humanity and creating harems to start a new Krypton here. John Byrne took Superman in a different direction in '86 with his Man of Steel miniseries where he reinvented Kal-El's origin story as well as Jor-El's backstory and personality, which I'm assuming, in part, is where Gunn was drawing inspiration for his interpretation. Having grown up seeing Jor-El always portrayed as a kind and wise father and guide to Kal-El, I'm finding it difficult to cotton towards Gunn's take. If he was going for shock value, I wish he'd chosen a different character and circumstance. For Clark's part, I think it's a uniquely cool benefit to being an extraterrestrial orphan when he can seek guidance from both his dead parents via technology and from his Earth parents to help him navigate the situations he faces in the world as two different people with problems on very different levels. I've always thought that the influences from both sets of parents, or at least from his Kryptonian father, were instrumental in shaping the person that Clark becomes and how that informs who Superman is. I find making Jor-El a tyrant undigestible.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Just saw it and I liked it. However, it's not without its flaws. But I liked Corenswet as Supes, Brosnahan as Lois, Fillion as Gardner, and Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, probably the most breakout performance in the film. I'd say Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor was a wee bit over the top, but then again, given current events, it's more like art imitating reality. Anyway, Hoult's a good actor and I think he portrayed the character well. I still think Clancy Brown's cool and collected version in Superman: The Animated Series was the ideal capture of the character. I couldn't stand Eisenberg's take, so Hoult's was at least better than that. I just want a live action Luthor that's portrayed the same way- cool, unflappable, brilliant, aloof but charming when it suits his needs. I think Luthor also works better as a smart villain when his interest in Superman comes from a place of scientific curiosity and gamesmanship- pitting his intellect against Superman's. He sorta did that in this movie, but his methods were far more axe than scalpel and I'd prefer the latter approach, always ready with a plan B, C, and D, and nonchalant when his initial plans fail, b/c even failures have their lessons to be learned and Lex always has myriad contingency plans. Anyway, it was mostly cartoonish with a handful of serious or tender moments, but overall, not bad. I loved seeing the old Hall of Justice and the "Justice Gang" (working title 😉) added a bit of flavor to the film as a build up to a larger DC Universe. I'm not familiar with Guy Gardner but if he's a bit of a narcissistic ass, well then Fillion nailed it. Hawkgirl was, well, Hawkgirlish, although again, I harken back to the excellent Justice League toon in the 90s as my ideal, and this movie's characterization was not that. Moving on to Mr. Terrific, a character I had no familiarity with and yet I felt made the biggest impact. Hoping he'll be getting more screen time in the future. I imagine there's probably a Justice League film in the works. As the owner of a nearly 90 lb pitsky who's just a year and half old and a bit unruly, especially on the leash, Krypto was all too familiar. 😄 I could totally see my dog doing the same to me as in the opening scene. I can't help but thinking that LEGO missed a great opportunity by not making a Mr. Terrific set with his ship. That thing was cool. AFAIK, they're not making any sets from this movie, which is pretty disappointing as DC gets little representation in brick for characters beyond Batman and this movie had enough set pieces that at least a few sets could have been made from it.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I look at this way: so long as Harmony Gold exists, this is very likely the closest representation of G1 Jetfire we're ever going to get, and I think they chose a good base for it. As a KO, it's going to have its flaws and inaccuracies, but overall, they're not so egregious, in my experience with my copy, to ruin the toy for what it's supposed to be. I keep mine in battroid with FAST packs on and it looks pretty amazing standing next to my SS86 Ultra Magnus. Some of the deco is off, unfortunately, but there's enough intact livery from the G1 toy to make it instantly recognizable, and I can live with that. Should Toyhax put out a sticker set for it, I'll likely bite, but for now, IMHO, it looks pretty sweet upon the shelf.
  11. M'Kyuun
    As always, you make excellent points, and I certainly can't refute the obvious similarities between the Marleyans and their attitudes and treatment of the Eldians as a direct echo of Nazi Germany. I fear that in my focus on Eren and Zeke, I lost sight of Willy Tyber and his importance to the story, a shortcoming in my overview that now seems glaring in retrospect. However, as much as I enjoyed the first part of the story centering around Pardis, I still enjoyed, I think in equal part, the latter part of the story involving Marley and the wider world, as it informed the viewer of what lay behind what's been happening to them the previous five years or so as well as adjacent machinations and goings-on in the present. I don't think the totality of the story would have been as satisfying had they only focused on Paradis, as equal parts fun and depressing it is, without providing some back and adjacent story to answer the whys and whos of what lay behind the sudden titan infestations, who Grisha Jaeger really was, where did Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt come from and why were they there, etc, etc. There was a plethora of questions raised in the first couple chapters and had they just ended the series like that without providing answers, I personally don't feel like it would have been as satisfying overall. I can understand perhaps taking the Nazi similarities a bit too far, but this wasn't exactly a tame show that strayed from harsh realities, and I found the comparison apt. Your mileage obviously varies, as well as that of a larger portion of the fandom, but the obvious parallels didn't bother me. As to Eren being easily forgiven, I agree. He was an a-hole of the first order and deserved to be vilified for the monster that he became. I think Zeke's and Willy's plan, although terrible, too, was at least possibly coming from a place of contrition. It's a shame that Mikasa didn't pop out of her spell and kill Eren when he told her that he'd hated her most of their lives- whether he actually meant it or was just saying it to create distance between himself and her, the bastard had it coming. Alas, it came too late, but I thought it poetic that Mikasa was the one to deliver the coup de grace, even if she STILL felt affection for him. He got off too easy. The show is definitely a study, perhaps a dark caricature, of real history, some of the absolute worst of humanity's capital-E Evil, to borrow your phrase. To my mind, however, we must always be reminded of that evil lest we repeat it, be it in literature or art, and as an artform, I think anime is an apt vehicle, although perhaps it needn't be so blatant. The Japanese have their own demons to bear from WWII and it's notable that they weren't portrayed at all harshly compared to the Marleyans who symbolize the Nazi Regime. Indeed, they were merely portrayed as simply opportunistic money grubbers, with Azumabito showing a little contrition for how her people have acted. Make of that what you will.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I have little interest in getting this fig, but Takara put some effort into it and it shows.
  13. M'Kyuun
  14. M'Kyuun
    It would have to be a non-realistic sci-fi tank or else it would violate LEGO's internal rules on producing modern warfare machines.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Nearly a month late due to the release schedule, but this is my birthday ask for my wife. I didn't think Bee was all that well done, but this looks on par, if not better, than Optimus. Loving those cassettes! I'm really glad Optimus wasn't a one-off. However, should they choose to do more Decepticons, Megatron and the Seekers are off the table unless they do Cybertronian alt modes due to LEGO's no-modern-war-machine policy. Megatron already falls afoul of American toy gun laws. Reflector would be pretty neat, though, as would the Insecticons or Constructicons, should they stick with G1 first season bots for these sets. More Autobot carbots are surely welcome.
  16. M'Kyuun
  17. M'Kyuun
    Having finally completed our Blu-ray collection for Attack on Titan earlier this year, and with my wife's having a long weekend due to the holiday, we binge watched the whole thing finishing today, and wow. This is really an impactful series, lushly animated, extremely well-written, and very-well performed by the English voice cast. We'd started watching it years ago when it premiered on Cartoon Network, but we'd missed eps here and there and I believe we only saw it up to S3, so a full watch was in order. Anyway, we were hooked back then and have been wanting to give it a full watch, so I'm glad this weekend provided an opportunity. It definitely did not disappoint. It's one of those rare shows that stays with you mentally and emotionally for some time after you've finished it. I've read that some fans took issue with the ending, but I thought it offered a satisfying and thought-provoking ending that speaks to human nature. My wife and I both served in the military, so the camaraderie between the characters was very relatable. I'm not a big believer in preordination or fate, but IMHO the way those elements were used within the narrative, especially with Eren's story, offered perspective and in flashbacks, really interesting glimpses at characters' reactions and choices that would affect events. Overall, a tour de force of character-building, narrative and plotting, world-building, and social commentary, not to mention the sheer beauty of the artwork and use of music throughout. To say the least, I recommend a watch.
  18. M'Kyuun
    As am I, honestly, despite my criticism of the frame system.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, the indeterminate window for standard parts deliveries can be frustrating. I dislike that they break them up into bestseller and standard categories in the first place, but then they also charge $7 service fees if a minimal number of parts isn't met, and that goes for each category, so you can end up paying $14 on top of what you're paying for a smaller order. I'd rather my money went towards actual bricks, so I always wait to order when I've got a project requiring, or potentially requiring, enough parts to exceed the service fee limits, as was the case with this last order. The numbers of parts compared to actual numbers I ordered were so random and excessive at times that it raised my antennae. I've never had such an odd experience before with their online Pick-A-Brick. I appreciate the free extra parts though. I'm curious if I'm going to have the same experience with my standard parts. Guess we'll see.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Or, now bear with me, they could've taken the extremely radical step of making the leg bots actually become the legs by virtue of their collective forty-plus years of experience designing transforming toys. I figure if they can pull it off with the Constructicons, they can pull it off with other combiners, too, especially if the knee joint is part of a large partsforming waist and thighs, at which point the knee just needs to slot into or otherwise enjoin with the leg bot.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Seconded. Takara could learn a few things by studying Kawamori's design approach. Alas, since they've been taking the same terrible lazy approach to jets for over forty years, I think both the designers and the vast majority of the fandom have become indoctrinated to the idea that robots that transform should be blocky and that those blocky robots that turn into jets should also have an element of blockiness to the alt mode, or should have arms hanging off the sides, barely if at all integrated or disguised as such, with kibbley, uneven, and virtually never smooth, sleek, or aerodynamic lower fuselages in the least. I've mentioned before how Maverick, certainly one of the best looking jetformers in jet mode that Takara has ever made received a great deal of criticism for its robot mode. Given that it takes a number of cues from the VF-1, it just struck me how the same fandom could love Jetfire but heap invective on this figure when the similarities in design are so apparent. Too, fans complained about how skinny or lanky it is b/c they're just so used to seeing a chunky bot with a heavily compromised jet mode that anything that doesn't fit that mold, so to speak, just doesn't compute as a Transformer. Unless there's a sea change at Takara in its approach to jetformers (much like the one that Alex Kubalsky introduced in the early 2000s with his general design approach, still used today), I think we'll just keep seeing more of the same from them and Hasbro by extension. I'm glad I discovered Macross in the 90s; it's been my refuge for excellent transforming plane designs all these years. Touch Toys is impressive for some of their recent releases as well. I have their J-16 (fully licensed) and man is that thing gorgeous with some very impressive engineering, form, and functionality. It hides its transformable nature more effectively than any other transforming jets I own, including my Macross valkyries, if only by a minimal margin in some cases. One caveat, however, is that the valks all have pilots in their fully detailed cockpits whereas the J-16 has neither. In all other respects, however, it's a remarkably realistic and nigh seamless design.
  22. M'Kyuun
    What purpose do the leg bots even serve besides being snap-on calves? I guess they're just trying to mimic the fronts of the leg bots with the frame, but it's kinda crummy that you don't even need the actual bots to affect the same appearance. Shame that they didn't put the plane bits out front on the G1 toy and in the animation, but history is written and here we have it in plastic.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Well, you're not being political by stating a financial reality. And yeah, that is a significant markup. I'm happy to pass on it. I'm quite satisfied with my Yamato Blazer Valkyrie and YF-19, both gorgeous and uncompromised. If I want a Fire Valkyrie, I'll get the HMR.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I wasn't going to buy it anyway, but that price is mildly insane. Like I said earlier, if they turned it into a regular crossover release at a voyager or deluxe scale and pricepoint and just gave us the plane, I'd happily grab it up. But what they're asking for what you're getting (I wonder how much of that $200 is wrapped up in that stupid trailer?), hard no. I think they're going to price a lot of fans out.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Change of topic. I'm working on a MOC and ordered a bunch of parts from LEGO's online Bricks and Pieces Hub as I've done many times before. The bestseller portion of my order came today and it was complete except there was only one of a piece for which I'd ordered two. Not a big deal. but here's the kicker: out of 36 different parts in the order, nearly every one had extras thrown in. and not just like one or two, although that happened with a few, too. Some parts had up to twenty or more extra pieces thrown in and in cases of matched pairs, the numbers of extras were generally highly incongruent. For example: I ordered 10ea 1x2 tiles with a wedge cutout both left and right; what I received: left 26 parts, right 16 parts This pattern repeats for a number of paired parts in the order. I'm not going to complain about extra free LEGO, but this is a highly unusual occurrence, and I have to wonder the meaning behind it. LEGO's a good company, but I've never known them to engage in this level of or method of altruism nor have I ever had this much discrepancy, albeit largely in my favor, between what I ordered (and paid for) and what was actually in the bag. I have had an extra here or there, as these are all hand-picked parts by real people, so mistakes happen, but usually they're pretty good about matching the orders. Anyway, my only complaint, being an entitled American, is that the incongruency messes with my inventory, as I generally always order paired bits in equal numbers and this is going to throw me off in the future unless I make another order to shore up the lesser numbers of those pairs. First world problem, I know. I'm grateful for the extra bits, but I'm really curious what's behind it. Perhaps there's a disgruntled employee or one who feels LEGO is too expensive and fans should get more for their buck. or maybe one person started picking the bag, went home, and another resumed picking without taking stock of what was already picked. Anyway, since that's only half of my order (the standard parts have yet to come), I'm curious if the same phenomenon is going to reoccur or if it will be a normal order matching what I ordered and paid for. Has anyone else here had this happen? I'm also curious if this is an isolated incident or if other folks are getting surprise orders, too.
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