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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Agree, as it's keeping with what Anna told Dutch and Co.- it returns and hunts throughout generations. The fact that humans historically have spent far more efforts towards advancing their abilities to kill each other than any other concern (except perhaps the advancement of wealth) would undoubtedly offer irresistible opportunities for hunting to such a creature as the Predator. Looking forward to this.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Pretty clever on Takara's part to just swing the front fascia of the cab into position for the foot rather than have the entire cab reposition. Some may see it as an engineering shortcut (well, technically it is if you're an absolute purist), but it's an effective shortcut that gets the job done. Granted, the leg is going to look a little weird from the side with the door and window details perpendicular to the ground while the face of the cab is parallel. I personally don't mind, especially given all the extensive partsforming that needs to take place to affect Devastator. Next to that, this seems a much smaller compromise. At least it's integrated. One ding against this is the lack of meaningful displacement of the forearms in leg mode; they just bend back at a slight angle, which looks more like afterthought and poor planning. Had they spared an extra bit of the mold to allow for a double hinge on those elbows, they could have folded neatly and purposefully. I guess they always have to bake at least one flaw into everything to justify another toy down the road, although given Hasbro's recent statements and their pivot towards prioritizing games, those supposed toys may never come.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Odd that it's taken this long for a sequel; it's not as much of a gap as there was with Incredibles, but still... There's not much in the way of narrative in that trailer; obviously there's a snake joining Judy and Nick as a new protagonist, and since they're being depicted throughout as being chased around the globe by the cops, there's likely suspicion that the snake indulged its carnivorous instincts, or so I surmise. I haven't watched Zootopia since it came out, but the carnivorous suppression in a mixed anthropomorphic animal society strongly reminds me of the far more mature Beastars anime, another worthy watch. Since Zootopia preceded it by about four years, I wonder if it wasn't perhaps the inspiration for the anime and its darker explorations of similar themes. Zootopia is an impressive film and, as always, there's concern that the sequel will fail to capture what made the first so good. I felt the same about Incredibles, IMHO one of the best animated films ever made, and after the long wait, and despite Brad Bird's heavy involvement, I didn't feel like it captured what made the original film great either. It's a good movie, don't get me wrong, but IMHO, it fell short. But then, Incredibles is a hard act to follow, even for its creator. I hope Zootopia 2 is fun and adds something new and interesting, but I feel like following the original film is an equally challenging proposition.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I like this set, or at least the intent. I've long been a fan of City sets, space and construction being my favorite subthemes. As a mashup of all the main subthemes, this is a nice primer for someone just getting into LEGO City, and a nice all-in-one representation for collectors. I'll admit, the spaceship and its unique astronaut are my main draws for this. I wonder if the parts to make that fig will show up on LEGO's Pick-A-Brick? The ship itself wouldn't be too difficult to cobble together from instructions but getting that minifig would be the challenge.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Not bad at all. I laud the return to his original alt mode form compared to the CW Mixmaster, whose alt I found rather unappealing. I'm concerned that those shoulders are going to have some very limited outward rotation due to how high they extend beyond the joint. Still, they're better than the "Rodimus shoulders", a technique I wish they'd permanently abandon. Great to see they managed to get the bicep rotation in there. Guessing it won't be long before either PvP or Toys Are Russ have a copy in hand for review.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I've yet to see any of the AOTP Prime figs. My Wally has retro Gears, TFOne figs, a copy or two of Party Wallop, a copy or two of Armada Red Alert, one or two Bayformer figs and that's about it. I'm likely forgetting a fig or two, but since I've actually been considering picking up Alchemist Prime, and perhaps Prima (I dig the moon buggyish alt), I've been dismayed to find them MIA in the two Wallies I frequent the most. The wife and I are planning a trip to Target tomorrow so perhaps I'll have more luck there. They carry a better selection of LEGO as well, so win-win. I'm not certain when Earthspark Soundwave is releasing, but I'm down for that fgure as well. Neat alt mode, and for a Takara/Hasbro jetformer, it looks to be better executed than the majority of their efforts.
  7. M'Kyuun
    And to think there were folks denying that the tariff situation was going to affect our hobby. FWIW, I've gotten the majority of the G1 characters I wanted in the main line, so if they were to stop production, while it would sadden me greatly, I'd continue to draw joy from what I have. That said, there are still characters left to do: Windcharger, the rest of the Constructicons, the Omnibots (I wish!!!!), a better Seeker mold, a better Soundwave mold, a better Astrotrain and Blitzwing (with equally good alt modes), better cassettes (not much hope but I can still wish), the rest of the Constructicons, the rest of the Combaticons, perhaps a deluxe Powerglide, Animated Blackout (b/c the original toy is ludicrously priced on the aftermarket), and a voyager scaled FOC Prime, just to name my most wanted off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more (I'd love to see most of Animated redone, faithful to Derrick Wyatt's vision and not homogenized with G1), but I covered the basics. I'm sure, if Hasbro were to drop the toys, third party would step up to fill the CHUG scale void, but I'd still miss the official releases. Takara would likely keep it going for at least the Asian market, so there'd likely be an avenue there as well, albeit pricier again for all the tariff nonsense. Anyway, for now, it looks like we'll still get our plastic crack. It's an uneasy reprieve, however, from the sobering concern that Hasbro has already contemplated ending toy production, especially when TF fandom is still thriving.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Likewise. Jetfire already represents an excellent Macross crossover without compromising the valk to impart another character's likeness. Thanks to Harmony Gold, we'll never get a proper official VF-1 Jetfire again, so I'll be satisfied with FG-01 (supposed to be delivered on Wednesday- been a long wait). Any interest I may have had in Basara Prime has all but ebbed; I'd rather they just gave us a proper VF-19 and gave it a Transformers name as they did with Jetfire. IMHO, by kludging it with Prime, all they did was ruin a truly beautiful transforming jet, which, historically, is par for the course with Takara/Hasbro, more's the pity. I'll just stick with my Arcadia and Bandai Macross offerings, thanks. I'm thinking the Evangelion Prime mash-up is going to be equally tragic. I, like so many fans, love the iconic look of the Evas; mixing their thin, lanky design with the boxy Optimus design will serve only to egregiously erode what makes the Eva so visually distinct and appealing (to those who like it, anyway). I think this whole line is geared far more towards Prime collectors who need to have every incarnation of the character, as the collaborative partners, like the VF-19, are being dealt the greater compromises. For a Macross fan like me, the beautiful valk designs are the main draw, so corrupting them to shoehorn in a Transformers' character's traits renders the appeal nonexistent.
  9. M'Kyuun
    The bottom is going to be Optimus' blocky chest with a couple intakes on the shoulders a la the Seekers. From what I can see of the fighter mode, it appears the shoulders are visible, as usual, along the sides of the jet, and I suspect the forearms will somehow, perhaps via a series of joints, fold in between the legs like most valks. The shield is attached to something, and I assume it's likely the forearms. Then again, the outer legs look squared off, so chances are far, far greater that Takara did their usual lazy approach and the forearms will simply tab into the outer legs and somewhat supply the curvy shape of the VF-19's legs/aft fuselage. They generally can't be bothered with finding better ways to engineer their jetformers, so why start now? The more they reveal of this thing, the more ass-tastic it looks to me. I much prefer my actual Macross toys to this. Too, I'm not a big fan of Basara anyway, so no real loss in passing.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Before we get heavily bastardized versions from Takara, we need proper VF-14 and Elgerzorene toys from Arcadia or Bandai.
  11. M'Kyuun
    If so, ugh. It's reminiscent of what they did with poor Legacy Silverbolt by adding all the gestalt armor onto his Concorde-ish mode leaving him far less svelte. I think Takara was just looking for an artificial way to bump up the price on BP and added a superfluous "stage" accessory which they then ham-handedly attached to the valk mode. IMHO, it adds nothing to either mode and it's just a big hunk of plastic that would stay in the box for perpetuity. A big hunk of plastic, I might add, that I'd rather not pay for given my druthers. Your "face of Optimus" argument does makes sense from a marketing standpoint, as he's very likely the most iconic character in the franchise (not sure if there's a poll to back that up). However, I remain steadfast in my belief that trying to comport all these crossovers, especially the VF-19, with Optimus' look just doesn't come off well, IMO. I'd just rather have a Fire Valkyrie over this kludged design. I love the YF/VF-19's design, so my bias plays a role, but honestly, which looks better, the actual VF-19 or Takara's mash-up? You know my answer. Likewise, my thinking extends to all the other crossovers they've done where they tried to use an established TF character rather than inventing a new one. I think the GI Joe crossovers, particularly, suffered from that approach. YMMV, of course.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Why does every collab have to turn into a bastardized form of Prime? FWIW, I've always thought a transforming Eva would be cool, but my idea was premised on the actual Eva, particularly Unit 01, as it's my favorite design of the base three, becoming a jet of some sort using those large shoulder armors for wings. I'd prefer that over making it a mash-up with Prime, or as with so many other collabs, mashing with other established Transformers characters where making the subject turn into its own distinct bot would better serve. I've always liked Zoids, and this particular mash-up should appeal greatly, but somehow it doesn't, and I can't quite figure out the cause other than their trying to shoehorn elements of Optimus into the bot's design. I think you're close to the mark, as I don't really see Basara Prime folding into some sort of weird truck form. I could be wrong (it's happened on more than one occasion), as that weird overly large microphone may serve as a hitch of some sort. If he indeed does have a third truckish form, there's gonna be a lot of kibble to deal with and it's probably not going to be the most believable truck they've ever done. Guess we'll see.
  13. M'Kyuun
    This is such a weird mashup. The plane looks alright from the top, but then that's generally the favored view of the majority of Takara's jetformer designs to draw attention away from the bottom where all the unseemly robot kibble is placed. It's noteworthy that no profile or bottom shots of the plane are shown. The bot mode, as well, is showing the compromises from trying to mash together two incongruous designs. It'll be neither VF-19 nor Optimus but an odd Frankenstein's Monster of the pair.
  14. M'Kyuun
    No worries. I appreciate your elucidation as my memory is anything but dependable and I would've continued to think I misremembered until my next watching (probably years down the road) at which point I would have forgotten this entire conversation anyway, rendering the point moot. You could have remained silent and I would likely have never known the difference, thus I appreciate your disclosing the source of that particular bit of info. It's both interesting and demonstrative of your character. Cheers!
  15. M'Kyuun
    I see what you're saying. As to using back-to-back copies of the Train Station, it would work fine except for, as you pointed out, the elevator. you could, however, leave one set fully intact and build something else in the elevator's' spaces on the other two copies. I seldom mod sets. I'll buy copies of sets with that intent, but I rarely follow through. I tend more towards building MOCs from scratch, and my interest is nearly laser-focused on designing and building transforming mecha. Buildings are not my forte which I why I enjoy building sets of buildings, be they the simple City sets or the complex beautiful Modulars. That being said, I haven't had the issues with colors or variety of parts interfering with my use of LEGO. If anything, I welcome new parts, especially those that help me make more organic shapes for planes and such, that offer a greater range of articulation or movement, and those that add details that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to brick-build. I have a friend who also laments the addition of new parts as he feels he needs to create a new storage option for every one. I'm at the other end of that situation cheering LEGO on for adding new parts. Different strokes. Understood. The first Arctic themed sets came out when I was already an adult. Even the Ice Planet Space theme came out during my early twenties, but I get what you're saying. So very much of what LEGO has produced would have appealed to my kid self. Fortunately, I'm still that kid so far as my interests (LEGO and Transformers) are concerned and I have never stopped collecting either toy line. As you might imagine, after forty+ years of collecting, I have little space left in my house for more, but they keep making it and I keep buying it, though I've slowed considerably, having to make harder choices and limit myself a bit. LEGO is especially difficult, as I like stuff from across multiple themes which makes making those choices so much more difficult. To that end, I empathize.
  16. M'Kyuun
    😆 just a glitch or it really hates flies. Got a good chuckle, thanks! The Fly Chair. I was imagining this with circus music playing instead of the overly dramatic music they supplied. Try it- it's good for a giggle. From a practical standpoint, I wonder what kind of fuel capacity, service ceiling, and range this thing has. I'm guessing it can't go much higher which would greatly limit its use for any kind of S&R work or recon. Moreover, it's only a single-seater, so rescue's out of the question. Much like Corleo, its cool factor overshadows its practicality.
  17. M'Kyuun
    I'm bested. Your knowledge of all this stuff truly is impressive. Despite having only just watched Frontier a couple months ago, I don't recall Alto's flying the Shin Kudo actor in a VF-1. I'm sure I spotted it while watching, and likely pointed it out to the wife as I do, but obviously the import of it didn't land. That said, I distinctly remember Ranka's planting one on Alto as they rehearsed the Mao-Shin underwater scene. Perhaps I'm a romantic at heart after all.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Rather comprehensive list; there are names of characters there I've never heard of, but then I've never played any of the Japanese games or read any of the manga. I was thinking of Hikaru since, although he's a pilot and proficient flying a standard aircraft, the VF-1 presented two additional configurations for which he was unprepared. And of course, he handled it clumsily thus crashing into Minmay's bedroom. That at least, in contrast to the usual prowess shown by first-time mecha pilots, was a more realistic portrayal of how things would actually likely play out. Concerning Alto, he'd trained via simulations and by flitting about in his flight gear; however, having never actually sat in a Valk until the Vajra attack, he acquitted himself quite admirably with William's VF-25 to protect Ranka, even if he only basically just stood there in GERWALK and pulled the trigger (I shall forever think of Shinji Ikari every time I hear that phrase). He also developed rather quickly into a very skilled pilot, as seems to be the case with most Macross protagonists regardless of background. Hayate initially raised a brow and a groan with his "Immelmann Dance". Pretty cheeky way of justifying his later skill in the VF-31; by virtue of his Workroid experience, I think it would have made for a more believable portrayal had he mastered the battroid, given the similarities, but struggled with the flying aspects. Instead, they gave that weakness to Mirage, both the progeny and student of ace pilots (isn't the whole Jenius family, though?) As for the rest, however, you make a good case for their skill, especially compared to the untrained Amuro Rays, Benagher Links, or Loran Cehacks of the Gundam universe(s).
  19. M'Kyuun
    I think there's a caveat to observe, however, regarding the higher prices and declining quality of toys: demand. I don't know about any of you guys, but I can't remember the last time I saw a kid in the action figure isle looking at, well, anything. Today's kids are largely fixated on electronics and social media and not so much on little plastic figures. I think the market is absolutely dependent primarily on people in their forties and up, with a contingent of younger folks buying toys, but not to the level we were invested in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Toys were our method of escapism, acting out imaginary scenarios, telling stories, or just having physical manifestations of those things we saw and liked on the big and little screens at the time. Video games were rudimentary when we were kids- there was no realism, no Horizon: Zero Dawns with gorgeous realistic landscapes and fluid movement to realistic looking humans and creatures. Cartoons filled that role to a lesser extent, and to that end, kids for the past three or four decades have no idea about the splendor of spending a Saturday morning glued to the tube for four hours straight watching back to back cartoons, making the hard choices when two shows you like are on simultaneously and there's no DVR to simply record one. Of course, we had VCRs, but if you forgot to set it or the tape was bad quality, or someone inadvertently taped over your show, such was life. I'm digressing. The point I want to make is that while we older fans and collectors bemoan the declining quality of our precious playthings, from Hasbro's POV (I'm not sure how the toy situation is in Japan, but it seems to be booming in China), I think the decline in interest, and thus sales, from what is ostensibly their target market, i.e. kids around 8-14, has fallen off significantly thus their reluctance to pour more resources into their production and seek other avenues, like video games or movies, to keep them relevant and profitable. I think they're fully aware that it's the older adult fanbase keeping the line going, but we are getting older and eventually 20, 30, 40 years down the line most of us will be one with the Matrix, so, while I wish far more resources were being thrown at Transformers, they have a responsibility to themselves and their shareholders to invest in things that will be profitable in the future, and sadly, I don't think that will be plastic figures, even super-cool ones that can turn into other things with a few twists, turns, and flips. With that bit of reality in mind, I try to be thankful for what we do have, and for the commitment we see from the designers who share their passions for these things. I'm glad Hasbro made the smart move to put them on these streaming events, as it creates a personal connection to the toys and it lets us see that there's true creativity and desire to make good toys in spite of constraints. It's easier to forgive some of the flaws knowing that their hands are often tied by budgets and other factors. Finally, I say it often, but it bears repeating: we're most fortunate that Transformers not only still exists as a living property, but one that's to all intents thriving when so many other 80s toylines are as extinct as the dinosaurs. I'm grateful.
  20. M'Kyuun
  21. M'Kyuun
    I'm not familiar with the manufacturing processes short of the need for molds and folks to assemble the toys from them. I haven't bought a Masterpiece toy since the release of MP Skids a few years ago, so I can't speak to the current quality of said toys. I predominantly focus on the main line stuff while buying the odd Earthspark toy that tickles my fancy. Having bought hundreds of Transformers toys at this point, I've seen quality go down since the early two-thousands, around 2007, when Classics, the first Bayformers, Animated, and Prime were all coming out, a time I characterize as a golden era of Transformers toys- priced well, with generally more complexity and parts count per size class, far fewer gaps and waffles, and more paint apps make those toys stand out still as some of their highest quality output on the whole. The only real advancement we've seen since is the inclusion of ankle rockers on most toys, not a very substantial step up relative to other current toys and models. Today's toys seem far more constrained by budgets thus the toys have become smaller with more effort to reduce plastic content, both parts counts and complexity have waned, as well as the amount of paint and tampo used. I still think the majority of mainline toys are decent, but any further cuts are going to have detrimental effects, methinks. One area we both agree on is Takara's ability to craft fun, engaging, and solid transformations about 99% of the time. There are a few clunkers, especially their jetformers, but overall, especially compared to most third-party offerings at any scale, Takara succeeds well in making fun and satisfying transforming toys. In that they are still the masters of the genre they helped to invent.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Well, it would really be on Takara's shoulders as they're the ones who actually design these toys with essentially a few aesthetic suggestions from the Hasbro designers. I'm convinced Hasbro couldn't design a transforming toy on their own if they had to which is why their partnership with Takara is so imperative to the continuance and success of the line. That said, the Hasbro designers do get to handle early prototypes during development affording them ample opportunities to spot weaknesses and potential breakage points by consumers. To that end, they're not blameless, but Takara, who have 40+ years of experience designing these things, should also be more mindful of such things when designing these toys.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Started watching GQuuuuuux, a rather nonsensical appellation (yeah, I realize it's a placeholder, but certainly they could've come up with something better) and after four episodes I find it a bit lackluster thus far relative to other Gundam entries. While many entries in the franchise are a bit contrived to ensure the featured pilot finds their way into the cockpit of a Gundam, this one stands out as particularly ham-handed as well as her ability to unlock its other abilities where the intended pilot, a Newtype no less, failed. Thus far, and it's still very early into the series, there hasn't been much character development with more time allotted to setting up the alternate UC timeline and the clan-fighting subplot.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Finished Apothecary Diaries on Netflix. Fun show. My wife and I enjoyed Maomao's detective work. While the show benefits from modern knowledge of science and medicine as seen and understood through Maomao's character, not to mention allowances for the amount of freedom she's given to express her thoughts given the time period, we found it an enjoyable show for the main character's stoicism and intellect paired with Jinshi's charm and cunning. Too, the various mysterious elements, both regarding the main characters and their backgrounds as well as those presented in the story essentially for Maomao to solve (since, other than her adopted father as well as her biological one, she appears to be the smartest person in the room) offer plenty of opportunities for couch conjecture, in which we enjoy indulging as the story unfolds. Anyway, while the first season had a pretty satisfying conclusion, not all questions were answered, and we look forward to the second season.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate the sentiment, truly, but rest assured, I'm fine for now. I can only hope it remains so for foreseeable future or there are going to be a lot of veterans in dire straits. Regarding the Train Station, most City buildings are essentially thin with nice facades. It's been that way since the beginning of Town back in the late 70s and the trend continues. I think that's one of the major characteristics that really made the Modular Building Series stand out, as it marked a radical change in design architecture giving us full buildings with generally larger interiors instead of thin ones with open backs. But, LEGO being LEGO, it offers the possibility of modification in addition to 'beefing up' the simpler designs if one desires to do so. It's why LEGO is such an excellent and persistently popular creative medium. Few other products offer what it does. Gotfred Kristiansen made one of the most poignant decisions in the company's nigh century-old history when he decided to make LEGO a system of play where everything works with everything else continually which will guarantee its success well into the future when other toys lose their appeal or relevance. The Arctic sets do indeed look great, but why need be a child to enjoy them? I find, if anything, my appreciation for LEGO has only grown with the advancement of years. I'm 53, 54 in a couple months, and I'm more invested in LEGO now than I ever was as a kid. It's a major part of my life, a defining element, and without it a large part of my character and identity would be lost. I, too, hope they get around to revisiting Ice Planet at some point, along with Futuron and other Space themes of yore. Give it time; many of the designers are AFOLs who grew up with these themes or are younger fans who discovered them and wish in some way to resurrect them in modern sets. Patience.
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