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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I was just notified that my copy of Mixmaster shipped so by this time next week, I should be able to assemble my first official Devastator. Something to look forward to.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Well, honestly, the pic with the leg bent forward along with the white leg within also bent forward elucidated the 'how' of the thing. My question remains how far can it bend? Can it go full 90 degrees relative to the waist, does the pic indicate the limit of movement, or is it somewhere in between? I'm not getting the figure, but my general curiosity beggars an answer. To that end, if anyone here gets ML Magnus, I hope you'll share your thoughts and perhaps a pic or two showing off the engineering. For my part, I thought this G1 toy a particularly challenging one to imbue with the ML treatment; I remain impressed at the execution and the Takara designers' ingenuity.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Regarding MPG Soundwave, I'm surprised that they're only repainting MP-13. While I still consider it a good take and a good figure, it's a bit dated and a new figure is in order. That said, I continue to use my MP-13 in my display and I bought FT's Soundblaster repaint, mostly for their Ratbat, but the figure itself surprised me with just how excellent it is. I daresay it's the best Soundwave, color and name changes notwithsatanding, in my collection. Perhaps Takara just didn't feel like competing with it and leaned on the nostalgia instead, what with MP-13's heavy G1 toy styling. I love Evangelion, but much like their VF-19 take, way too much is sacrificed to create an unholy amalgamation with Prime such that I'd just rather have non-crossover versions of the VF-19 or Eva Unit 01. I'm sure there's an audience for these crossovers, but I'm not part of it.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I'll say this; the show is entertaining, but it's as much to see where they're going with the story as it is for the extraordinary comedy of errors and obscene buffoonery by, more often than not, trained professionals disregarding said training and paying heavily for their negligence. This show is positively rife with improper actions and poor decisions that are just blatantly made to serve the story. Every time somebody makes a huge oopsy, they should just give a wink or a nod at the camera b/c it's like having sex in an 80s slasher film- it's all a gratuitous precursor to the ensuing chaos and death.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Man, you said it. I'm also working on a mostly white MOC and could use those in white as well. The Countach is an impressive set and I'm still tempted to pick it up, too. I kinda wish they'd done it in red, but I think they wanted it as a counterpoint to the Speed Champions version, which was also white. OR, perhaps, Ferrari took issue with making a Lambo in red. IDK- just spitballing, but some of these car companies can be rather fussy and demanding. I would have preferred it in black, too, over the white.
  6. M'Kyuun
    @Chronocidal, food for thought! I picked this up at our local LEGO Store this weekend after some hmmming and hawing over various options. I believe the last one of these I built was the Mustang, actually, since you mentioned it, and I considered the Countach, as it looked amazing. But I love dark blue and I love the look of the Cobra, so I made an executive decision! No regrets; as usual with these premium car models, there are plenty of interesting techniques, a few new parts which will come in handy for MOCs, and just an overall excellent capture of the real car's details and design, not to mention working steering, opening doors, hood, and trunk. This is a very curvy car, and the new 4x1 complex curved slope piece (7206 left and its analog, 7205 right) really allowed the designer(s) to execute them in an accurate manner. The model is stunning in-hand and I'm glad I chose it over some of the Marvel sets I was considering. The sticker sheet was small with only three or four stickers that weren't difficult to apply. The striped parts are all printed, as well as a 1x1 round tile with the Cobra emblem, and a few generic 1x1 round tiles with the gauge pattern. The build was smooth, as too are the functions of the final model; the doors have a satisfying little 'thoop' to them when they close and the hood/trunk open on double hinges that allow for them to close flushly like buttah. Overall, I give it a solid recommend. BTW, they had the Black Pearl at the LEGO Store and it is a large and impressive beastie to be sure. It's not really my jam, but for those who've hoped for a set of this magnitude, if they can spare the ducats, I'm sure they'll treasure the experience. Arrrr! From what I've read, the Pearl was designed by Mike Psiaki, Senior Designer extraordinaire, who has been responsible for any number of notable sets, especially the Icons Cars and the 10497 Galaxy Explorer. He has demonstrated time and again, a penchant for devising techniques and ingenious solutions to achieving very challenging shapes, functions, and features posed by the subject matter of the sets he works on. He was a brilliant MOC builder before working for LEGO, and we're all the richer for his having joined the company.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Your talent, creativity, and skills are remarkable in the truest sense. I don't know about the other fellas here, but I'd love for more toys and animation that's similar to Macross, in the same vein anyways, but perhaps with a different narrative or justification for the need of variable planes and other vehicles. This is obviously an ambitious and downright impressive feat of design and engineering and I'm glad you've shared it with us here. I very much hope you get your wish and meet Kawamori-san at one of the Fests. He's not getting any younger and if Macross is to continue beyond his lifetime, there'll be a need for a protege who designs in a similar fashion. I'd say this makes for one jawdropping resume if in fact you wanted to pursue that. I've enjoyed seeing and reading your posts on both the process and the progress leading up to the finished product and it's both astounding and inspiring. Thanks and every success to you!
  8. M'Kyuun
    In case anyone else, like me, was wondering, Typho does transform into an Ankylosaur. Compared to the G1 Dinobots, his dino mode is a bit messy and lacks the refinement of the originals, but since the primary intention is for him to form the torso, right arm, and leg skeletons for NA's Dinobots to attach and form Volcanicus, the fact that he can transform at all is a bit of icing on the proverbial cake. I have NA's Dinobots, but I have no real desire to combine them. That said, it's cool that NA is providing that option for those who do. I have the toy deco versions and I wonder if they're going to make up their own toy deco version of Typho. I'd be curious to see what it looks like even if I don't plan to get it.
  9. M'Kyuun
    It looks ok, although I'm not crazy about the plainness or lack of paint apps to replicate the toy's sticker details. And yeah, the cassettes have some notable flaws. I'm feeling the opposite the more I compare the two. I like SS86's proportions, with his meatier arms and overall bulk, as well as the lack of superfluous arm kibble that unfortunately bled over from the terrible Siege Soundwave to his Netflix version. However, I don't care for his thinner feet or their visible hinges; they look better on the Netflix figure, IMHO. Too, as I mentioned above, toon-slavish plainness is not my preferred look; I want details on my robot toys, especially when they're retailing for $60. Finally, they just can't seem to make very good cassettes at this smaller scale. I wish they'd never moved away from the OG real micro-cassette scale, as then they'd have more real estate to work with and they'd all be compatible across CHUG and MP toys. For my money, the OG cassettes, flatness notwithstanding, just did a better job of realizing both cassette and bot modes than these smaller scaled ones. At least the animal modes were better captured. KFC proved, too, with his latest Ramhorn and Steeljaw cassetttes that more realistic, non-flat animal modes that actually look like the animals they're supposed to be is possible. Kudos, too, to FansToys for their Ravage, which IMHO, Ravage being my favorite of the cassette minions, is the best executed version of him in the OG scale right after the one that came with Universe Hound and then the OG. The best Ravage overall goes to MMC, but of course, he's upscaled to a regular cassette which gave them a lot more real estate to work with.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Agree. As good as CG has become, there's still an uncanniness when they render real people's faces as digital constructs. It's a tough hurdle to clear for CG artists, as we're innately attuned to faces and tend to notice when even the slightest thing is off.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Thanks! I appreciate it, but as I stated in my previous post, I have nitpicks with the ER mold and given Hasbro's penchant for milking Seeker molds, I think I'll just wait for the eventual SS86 Seeker to get the Conehead treatment, b/c you know they're coming. How they come however, i.e. pesky exclusives and cumbersome box sets, is another story. I'm patient, though, so I'll wait. The coneheads were always more of a bonus to me anyway; I'm always more concerned with attaining Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp; any Seeker outside of that core three is just fluff for the shelf.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Man, my copy of Thrust was unceremoniously cancelled and I missed the window to reorder him, so he's the only one of the six main Seekers I don't have, and he also just so happens to be my favorite of the Conehead designs. However, with the SS86 Seeker on the horizon, it's not unrealistic to think that they'll milk that mold for all it's worth, and from what I've seen, while it's still not a completely accurate F-15, it' does appear to be somewhat better than the ER Seeker mold, partsforming stabs notwithstanding. I've lived without ER Thrust this long; I'm thinking I may just hold out for the inevitable SS86 variants. If I didn't know that the one on the right is the Studio Series figure, I'd swear it was one of their lesser toys for younger collectors. Compared to all the surface detail and greater number of paint apps to represent both OG toy and toon, the SS86 figure looks drab, the milky white plastic looks cheap, I'm not too crazy about how the feet and their hinges look, and the overall toonish plainness doesn't appeal. I missed the PO on Pulse, and maybe that was for the best, as right now I'm liking how my Netflix Soundwave looks better, crappy holdover arm kibble notwithstanding. For $60, I want something better. Once again, I wish Magic Square or New Age would release more of their figures in CHUG scale, as one or the other often creates a nigh perfect version of a character and I'd love to them available as options for my CHUG shelves. @mikeszekely I appreciate your writeup of Micronus Prime. I'm neither a UT fan nor an ardent fan of the greater TF lore as it has been presented in comics and other media, but there's just something creatively charming about this guy and the armor they cooked up for him. I concur that it's a cool play pattern and it elevates what could have been a relatively simplistic figure into something greater. My interest in the Primes has been tepid at best, as Alchemist is, to wit, the only one I've bought thus far, and I got him more for his resemblance to Prime Bulkhead than out of any interest in the character himself, mostly. He does have a neat look about him with his goofy steampunk goggles. I'm digressing, but, yeah, Micronus struck a chord with me when they revealed him in the fanstream. I wish there was just a pinch more complexity to the bike mode's transformation but given that the bike was a totally made-up thing to accentuate the principal figure, and at a deluxe price point no less, I shan't criticize too harshly. Kudos to Takara for thinking outside of the box, or three-dimensional disc as it were.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I'm old enough to have seen Tron in the theater, one of only a few films I saw in the theater growing up, and it was impressive. Visually and narratively, it was absolutely unique. All the smart-ass comments landed, the characters were likeable, especially Flynn, who, much like Han Solo, outshone the eponymous main hero of the story. Even the CG was extraordinary, as it imparted an uncannily realistic look to the scenes in which it featured, and with CG being a relatively new phenomenon in film, it stood out as something special. We take it for granted now, but back then my 11-year-old self was left wondering what did I just see? There was truly an otherworldly, magical quality to it that was fresh and unique and cool. It's a shame we haven't really felt that about movie effects since '93's Jurassic Park, which amazed me all over again with its incredibly realistic CG effects. So much of Tron has become iconic today, but one must remember that it was all one big experiment dreamed up by Steven Lisberger and it didn't really gain traction with fans until years after its initial release. But thank goodness it attained a cult following which kept it relevant, as it's one of those landmark films that pushed boundaries and laid the groundwork for further innovation in visual effects. Incidentally, the Tron producers were cheated out of an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects b/c the Academy felt that CG was cheating, despite all the intense work that went into creating those effects on rather primitive super computers. In my mind, they won it deservedly. Next to the original Tron, IMHO, the animated Tron: Uprising is the second-best entry in the franchise, if only b/c it builds on what came before. It was an excellent show, well-written with well-fleshed out characters, a handful of good baddies (Lance Henriksen always delivers), and cranky old Tron himself, reprised by Bruce Boxleitner, added a bit of grit and a tinge of darkness to the character. Disney, in its infinite wisdom, cancelled it after only one season, of course. I would have loved to have seen at least one or two more- it exemplified what I want to see in a Tron show or movie. That said, I'm lukewarm for Tron: Ares. I'm not the biggest Jared Leto fan either, and I'm not sure how I feel about the digital world coming into the real, as I think there are far more interesting things that can be done visually and narratively in the digital, and that was sort of the point with the first two films. Nearly anything is possible in the digital realm, and I think that's a far more interesting world to explore than our own with its many limitations. I'll very likely go see it, but with tempered enthusiasm. If nothing else, judging by the trailers, it'll at least be pretty. And Gillian Andersen, speaking in her native British accent, is in it. To quote Frohike, "Scully's hot". 😛
  14. M'Kyuun
    I never had any of the OG Deluxe Insecticons (I only had Kickback and Shrapnel), but I do have a downscaled Convertors version of Barrage and I always thought it was a cool figure. I wish Takara/Hasbro had gone all-in on making new molds for Ransack, Barrage and Chop Shop to match their OG toys as well. Regarding Venom, I know there's some complaint about the wing attachments, but it follows the OG toy quite faithfully and IMHO that's a strength, mostly. It would have been nice had those attachments swiveled to his back to get them out of the way, but overall, I'm extremely happy with how he turned out. Still waiting for my copy. Since they've demonstrated the willingness and ability to back-engineer Venom, I hope they'll do the same eventually not only with Ransack, Barrage and Chop Shop, but also Whirl and Roadbuster. I really want a proper Mugen Calibur as my Roadbuster. Missed the preorder today so I didn't get SS86 Soundwave. Got a little sticker shock from that $60 price tag. Just not seeing $60 worth of stuff there, and being a fan of the cassette-bots, the new molds with him aren't exactly inspiring. I'll likely get him eventually, but man these prices are becoming a bit off-putting, especially when 3P legends makers are, IMHO, crafting superior versions of these characters for around the same price and they're much more space-friendly, an appealing factor when I'm just about out of space for Hasbro's mainline/SS stuff.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I concur. I just put together the second of the Speed Champions Lamborghini two-pack (the blue one) and applying the decals was a pain. Moreover, there are, TBF, a fair number of printed parts included in the set as well, but as it turns out, one must exercise diligence in applying the stickers so that they match up with corresponding printed parts. I didn't realize until after I'd already applied the ones on the slopes of the hood and they misaligned with the printed complex slopes forming the edges of the front end. Thus I had to pull the one off and reapply it so that it lined up. The other one was close enough so I didn't bother, but it's stuff like that that sticks in the craw. I get why LEGO maintains the sticker option, but on livery or detail heavy sets like the SC line, I kinda wish they'd just print everything for a smoother frustration-free build process. I'm looking at that Mattel Honda set and thinking how useful any number of those parts would be if LEGO made them too. I like that Mega Skystriker/H.I.S.S. Tank set.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Speaking of Soundwave, while I applaud the LEGO designers for making their version as good as it is, I was disappointed that the hips couldn't bend fore or aft and the forearms were rather skinny, proportionally, and the hands couldn't retract into the arms. So I fixed mine.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Agree. SS86 Soundwave shares a fair bit of the Netflix's engineering/transformation. The cassettes aren't much better than what's come before, either. I'm thinking Ravage's jet packs and tail are on a separate piece that has to be parts-formed onto him after he's transformed, much like Steeljaw. At least the G1 cassettes had complete robot/creature modes- only the accessories were parts-formed. The Condors' wings aren't the right shape, and while Ravage's legs are an improvement over the previous release, his No-Neck Ed head and block-o-accessory sticking up on his butt just detract from what should be a svelte cat-like form. Again, his flatness notwithstanding, the G1 toy still looks better. Ravage here makes for a better Steeljaw, IMHO, as that wide neck would make for a good mane. A little cassettte deco would go a long way towards selling the alt modes, too. Funny that they still put out stock shots with mistransformation errors. It gives the impression they don't understand how to use their own products. So, not really the "Wow" factor I was hoping for, but it does make some improvements over the Netflix version, which suffered the additional kibble from its WFC crappy spaceship alt mode. I'll get him, but I can't help but feel a bit letdown over some of the execution, especially, as usual, with the cassettes.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I'll add my kudos for your customary extensive writeup and pics. I've made a few poor efforts towards doing minimal reviews, so I appreciate all the work you put into your elaborate efforts. As to the thing itself, I think we the fandom at large recognize that both the individual bots and the final gestalt are good, but certainly not perfect by any stretch, and as always, it leaves one hoping that the next installment, b/c there's always another installment, will be further improved. I skipped the CW team entirely b/c they left far too much to be desired. On this go round, the figs were markedly better, and I bit to my general satisfaction. Of course, I have the same complaints as everyone else, mostly, but on the whole I think it's a much better collection of figs. I'm still waiting on Mixmaster to complete my team and assemble Devastator, but thanks to this and other reviews, I'm well informed on what to expect and what to do, so a sincere thank you, Mike. I do have to say that, with all the extra effort and higher price points for these guys, I'm a bit disappointed that Devy's elbows don't even achieve the standard 90 degrees. C'mon Takara, you can do better. One more thing for third party add-on kit makers to fix, I guess.
  19. M'Kyuun
    My wife and I have been binging Orphan Black on Netflix this week and we finished it this evening. We enjoyed it immensely. Huge kudos to Tatania Maslany for pulling off one of the best multiple character portrayals I've ever seen, not to mention all the folks who made her concurrent appearances in scenes look seamless. Just a damn good show overall.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Oh, lucky! Scavenger showed up yesterday, so Mixmaster is the only one I'm waiting on now. I ordered him from Pulse and all my Pos have been showing up recently, sometimes just a day apart, so shouldn't be long now. I'm happy to finally be getting a full official Devastator after 40+ years of fandom and collecting, but I wish they'd done a better job with the individual Constructicons. They're not as bad as the CW team, which I skipped entirely, but stuff like Bonecrusher's too-short forearms, Scavenger's lack of a rotating deck in excavator mode, Hook's weird arm proportions, etc erode the joy I was anticipating when these guys were announced. They're good, but not great, and I was kinda hoping for great. I am, however, looking forward to getting them all assembled for the first time. Devy was, I'm sure, the primary focus and from what I've seen in reviews, huge superfluous butt-flap notwithstanding, they did a pretty good job with him.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I think a lot of us can relate to that; toys were always important to me as we were not well off so I didn't have a large or complete collection of anything, and I cherished what I did have. Transformers and building blocks were my two favorite things (not much has changed over the last 40 years except for the volume of my acquisitions. 13-year-old me would absolutely piss himself if he could see what I have now). Oddly enough, the scale thing often hits me more when I'm out on a walk and encounter the odd LEGO piece that a kid has dropped on the sidewalk. LEGO has been an integral part of my life for most of it; I handle it or see it every day and yet when I encounter a random piece it in the wild it always seems so small, like it's smaller than it really is. It's a weird perception, but in that analogous comparison I can completely understand @26662's amazement at how small the G1 toys were compared to today's main line and SS86 figures, and all the more diminutive compared to MP.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Are the thighs on G1 OP and UM's core made of die cast? It's been a very long time since I handled that figure and I don't recall. However, that would account for my mistaking them for being chromed, as they're pretty shiny in the pics. I was thinking, too, that there may be a moveable panel to allow for more forward knee travel, but I couldn't make it out if there is. There could also just be more clearance in the leg mold to allow for the thighs to swivel forward a bit. Regardless, I'm thinking the pics show the extent, or very close to the full extent of thigh forward motion. If it could kick up higher, I'm thinking they would've shown it for the 'ooh, ahh' factor.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Interesting, if simple, solution. As I surmised, the knees act as the armored form's hip joints. I wonder if the previous poses represent the limit of hip articulation forward or if the legs can kick higher. I don't have my reissue of G1 OP handy to see how much forward bend his knees have, but then the ML core's feet and calves have been modified so it's entirely possible the knees have as well to affect greater pose ability. The armatures holding the core's thighs in place are concerning for the potential to scratch or rub off the chrome.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I was never into G.I. Joe anywhere near as much as Transformers, but I did watch the show, almost on a daily basis in fact, even as background noise, after school. I thought the Joe toys were incredible, but I only owned a handful of figs and the only vehicle I owned was the Dragonfly helicopter. I still have it, but my Wild Bill's rubber band dry rotted a long time ago and he rests in pieces somewhere in my collection. Anyway, I thought a crossover was a cool idea until Hasbro decided to do Megaron as the HISS Tank, a vehicle I dig, and the end result was far from spectacular. Bee was better. Kup's better executed than the others, but IMHO, the greatest hindering factor is making the vehicles become established TF characters instead of tailoring the transformations to suit bespoke characters. I've argued before that not everything related to Transformers needs to be Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream, etc. I get why, but I point out how abysmally bad they turn out as a result whereas creating a new character to fit the vehicle and creating a more efficient transformation schema to fit the vehicle-to-robot conversion is the optimal solution. Anyway, while I like the concept of Joe/TF crossovers, the execution thus far has been less than appealing, alas, but my wallet and too-full shelves thank me.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate what they were going for, but I prefer the original spherical Death Star set that they released. I like the Imperial Shuttle they made for it, although the nose gives me bull terrier vibes. 😄 I made my own for the OG DS playset.
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