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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Yep, I caught both of those references, too. 😄 Guessing the writers Barrer and Ferrari are fans given all the references, knowledge of the lore, and characters across the franchise. It's a really well-done Transformers film, and I think more fans owe it to themselves to check it out. It's unhampered by human antics, focused purely on Cybertronians and Cybertron, and serves as a prequel to all that came after, at least in one corner of the multiverse. Speaking presciently, I think it'll be looked upon kindlier over time, just like the '86 film.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I had no interest in the Amazon two-pack, but wow, that Ruckus is a pretty impressive retool from the standpoint that one could be forgiven for not recognizing it as such. I wish more retools were that extensive. Welcome to my world where I consistently miss deals and sales and generally always pay full price. The ouch is ouchier when you multiply it by four, though. Sorry, Mike.
  3. M'Kyuun
    My wife and I went to see it today and I enjoyed it. I'm sure I probably missed a few, but I enjoyed the peppering of references and use of characters from other continuities beyond G1. There were certainly liberties taken with the lore, but ultimately it was an easy story to follow, and it made sense. I think it had greater impact beginning as a buddy film and showing the rift grow as D16 becomes Megatron. It was full of tropes, but ultimately, I thought it was a fun enjoyable film which I can't say about any of the Bay films. I can see where a lot of G1 fans might not like it, but it's not meant to be G1. It nods to G1 a fair bit, but it's its own tale, and I thought it was told well enough. The actors all did a good job with their parts, and I think it comes through that they were having a good time as well. I enjoyed the visual language of the film- I couldn't help but think it a precarious technology to have the train track form only feet in front of the train while it's in motion. I'm with @TangledThorns in the hopes that there'll be another film or possibly a series. I thought it a fun visit to one universe in the multiverse of Transformers and both my wife and I would like to extend our stay.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I hope Silverbolt and the Aerialbots are done better than in the past and that their plane modes are an improvement over the usual box o'bot with plane bits attached, but I have little faith. I wish they'd done Animated Omega Supreme, but let's face it, any version of Prime is a money maker. The Japanese cartoon toys aren't really my cuppa, but I'm happy for those who've been wanting a Star Convoy for their collections. I had to look him up as I have no familiarity. Easy pass on my part. I wish they were doing FOC Optimus. Between the two games, the FOC version really struck a chord with me. I still play with my little deluxe, but like the upgraded Legacy WFC fig, FOC Prime needs his due. Seaspray is the only other thing mentioned that holds any interest for me. As Mike said, hopefully he won't be another short packed fiasco like Cosmos. I get that these store exclusives are money in Hasbro's pocket, but I really wish they'd find another avenue or leave the exclusives for the redecos or less popular characters.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Been reading through these posts and felt I should probably chime in. First and foremost, a magnitude of thanks to both @Test_Pilot_2 and @ChristopherB for your generous compliments on my behalf. You're far too kind and I appreciate it immensely. Too, from one old retired MSgt (USAF) to two fellow vets, an enormity of gratitude for your service and all the sacrifices and high points that a career in the military entails. @ChristopherB, your work is nothing short of excellent. For my part as a Macross fan, I humbly admit that I wasn't even aware that a GERWALK armor even existed. Moreover, I wasn't aware that a little unsung design company named Matsushiro was behind many of the amazing 80s transforming toys sold through Takatoku. I had to employ my Google-fu, but it was an interesting read (Toybox DX to my rescue). Anyway, for the knowledge of both tidbits to expand my own useless Macross knowledge, I'm ever thankful. As to the Variable Glaug, a unique valk that absolutely deserves a toy, should you ever feel compelled to take it up as a project, I humbly request that you keep me in the loop, as I may have some small interest in such a thing. My thanks and again, brilliant work on your GERWALK armor. I hope you find a home here on MW. I've been roaming these halls for probably close to twenty years now, and I've found it an inviting and helpful refuge when some others have become cesspools of invective and negativity. We've managed to maintain our civility in no small part due to @Shawn, @Graham, and the many mods over the years who've cleaned up after us and put those in need into time-out, as it were. Welcome to our little corner of fan(atacism) and I do hope you'll prop up your legs and stay awhile. Cheers! -Bill (M'Kyuun)
  6. M'Kyuun
    I'm guessing you missed out on the Yammie 1/60 VF-11B, a pretty solid toy and a definite upgrade from their breakage-prone 1/72 toy. Speaking of which, my girlfriend at the time, who's since upgraded to spousal unit for the last 21 years, was present when I first received my 1/72 VF-11 and proceeded to have its right leg, IIRC, snap off in my hand while simply attempting to rotate the leg. This was probably within minutes of removing it from its plastic shell. I was able to disassemble it and affect a lasting repair using a screw and some glue, but that was definitely one of those heart-sinking moments. Another was the day the right arm of my Yamato V2 YF-19 (the one with all the moaning over its gullet) just fell off with no provocation save for gravity. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues like that with any of my other Yammie, Arcadia, or Bandai valks, but I'm always leery to handle them, especially the older Yamato stuff. My wife still mentions the leg coming off my VF-11 from time to time. I wasn't aware of an upcoming VF-19 Kai; I still have my Yamato 1/60 VF-19S posed prominently on my desk next to Yamato's V3 YF-19, and they look fantastic. Two of Yamato's best toys, IMHO. Not a big fan of the Kai, personally; I didn't care for Basara as a protagonist, or the concept of "song energy", or the use of musical instruments as controls, or the face on the Kai, or the red color, -- well, the list of what I don't like about it is much longer than that of what I do. I love the VF-19's design; however, I prefer it devoid of all the musical nonsense and in better color schemes. I have Bandai's VF-19 advance, and I think it's a really well-done fig. It certainly manifests more ingenuity and care than their YF-21, but I digress. Anyway, if Bandai applies all the nifty solutions they employed with the YF-19/VF-19 Advance to a VF-19 Kai and variants, I'm thinking, cautiously, that they'll probably be pretty good toys.
  7. M'Kyuun
    I just learned of your projects, ImChris5115, and I'll echo the sentiments of the other members: truly incredible and inspiring work. Of course, being a Macross fan on a Macross forum, the inevitable comparison to Kawamori-san's prolific variable fighter designs is both expected and offered as high praise for what you've accomplished with your Types 1, 2, and 3 designs. However, it needs to be said that your battroid styling is a departure from Kawamori's usual designs giving it a uniqueness visually, as well as a complexity and innovative quality that's as intriguing as it is brilliant. Looking forward to these and future projects. Please keep sharing your vision and talent with us.
  8. M'Kyuun
    After waiting a few weeks for other items in my pile of loot to arrive for consolidated shipping, my YF-21 showed up today, and what a beauty. I even like the fighter mode, though I know other members have their reservations in that regard. As a battroid fan, I'm willing to suffer the few indignities visited upon the fighter mode in order to have this: What an improvement over the old Yammie! Proportionate legs, tight joints throughout the legs, and throughout the entire battroid on the whole. 👍 Note that my head laser is straight; I was purty anxious about that, but as I slid it out of the box and saw that, much of my anxiety about the fig melted away. I also checked my canopies to see if they had cracks, but nope: everything was intact and in good working order. Like others' copies, the wingtip bits on mine pop off fairly easily, but fortunately they just peg, a little too loosely, back into place. I probably won't handle it a great deal, but if I do get the urge, I may have to wrap a little tape around those pegs to increase the friction a tad without resorting to any permanent modifications. The only negatives I have thus far are the inexcusably too-short main landing gear (there's room for at least a few more mms of gear or they could have made an extending mechanism that allowed for proper ground clearance with or without FAST packs and guns installed); the ugly elbow joints, even if they do offer excellent range of motion; the crappy poseable hands that can barely hold the gunpod (C'mon Bandai, you do much better on your Gundam kits, but you can't do better on a $300+ high-end toy?); the backpack design, with its huge gap and need for a partsforming bracket that could and should have been engineered into the toy itself- it's an extreme low point, again, for a high-end toy that should never have been remotely in consideration let alone employed. Oh yeah, and the need to remove and reposition the pilot and seat in order to affect the proper positions between battroid and fighter modes. Why they couldn't engineer a rotating seat is anyone's guess, as that's a minor issue compared to what they came up with for the foot stowage. Go figure. Gripes aside, though, I love the overall look of it: the blue hue they used looks great, paint apps are sharp, I love all the tampo ( the lack thereof on most of Yamato's and Arcadia's valks still vexes me), the ability to hold a pose unassisted despite that backpack and its distance from the battroid's back (no favors for the thing's center of gravity), all the included accessories to achieve just about any look you desire from the YF-21 (even if there's some heavy partsforming involved, especially for delimiter); and, though it may be controversial, even heretical to some, the truncated belly panels. I never cared for the largely shellformery aspect of the YF-21 and I've long disliked those long panels hanging off the legs. I think the short ones look better and allow the legs to be manipulated without getting in the way. Honestly, like all his other valks, I wish the legs had been visibly incorporated as part of the jet instead of being hidden inside those panels. IMHO, it's one of the weakest aspects of the design beyond Kawamori's liberal use of artistic license to shrink and enlarge proportions between modes to favor each mode without regard to practical realization. It's the bane of toy and model makers, but I'm happy with the balance Bandai struck with this figure. I'm probably in the lower percentile of fans who display their valks exclusively in battroid, but Bandai made this thing for me and my ilk who grew dissatisfied with the gangly skinny legs and instability of the Yamato. I'm glad they decided to release it despite its few shortcomings. I can now fill the void in my Detolf: And b/c I'm not a big GERWALK fan, this pic represents the first and last time I'll likely ever put it into this mode, but I will say, it pulls it off well. I even managed to get the poseable hand to hold the gunpod. I wish they'd put a slight bend joint in the butt of the rifle so it didn't hit the arm when being held by the poseable hands. Would've made a slight difference for the better, though those fingers really beggar a second joint to allow them to curl around the grip. All I think of when I see it like this is the scene where Guld's errant thought to push down on Isamu's VF-11 actualizes causing Isamu to crash. A VF-11 to reenact that scene would've made a nice accessory. 😜
  9. M'Kyuun
    My Linna fig is way too fragile to handle, as her arms fall off at the merest provocation, including gravity. There's just not enough friction generated by the little nubs onto which her arms attach, and I wish they'd mushroom pegged them or found some other more permanent means of attaching them. As for the Motoslave, it's a bit of a fiddly toy, although without Linna inside, it's more fun to handle. I keep Linna inside it for display purposes, so I try not to touch it lest her arms detach themselves. I'd love for Sentinel to do a slightly upscaled version with better joints in the Knight Saber figs. The Motoslave is one of my absolute favorite transforming motorcycle designs, even if, practically, it requires some partsforming. As a motorcycle-cum-mecha-cum exosuit, it's just an elegant, beautiful design and I'd love to have a robust definitive toy or model of it, preferably toy. Digressed a bit, but back OT, at least generally Mospeada, I'm still loving my Arcadia Proto-Garland, which I got a couple years ago. It was a long-time grail finally procured and I remain enamored with it. I wish they'd been able to realize it without resorting to the truncated Shogo fig like the original Yamato's managed to do, but the Proto-Garland itself is a thing of sheer beauty. As much as I like transforming motorcycles, I've never cared for the Ride Armor design from Mospeada. I think I'd like it better if, like the Motoslave, it was a fully realized and complete exosuit or better, mech, but it's essentially gauntlets and a big backpack for the rider and it just doesn't grab me the same way the Garland or the Motoslave do. As to the upcoming Tread, looking forward to it and all the intricacies and engineering touches Sentinel brings to the fore, as they did with their incredible Legioss design. I'm still in awe of that figure, as the Legioss was way overdue for an update, but they went beyond mere update and innovated some great solutions resulting in what is easily the best transformable representation of that design. I hope for, and kinda expect at this point, the same in their Tread. So far, just from the marketing pics, it looks to outdo all previous attempts. After showing off their prowess at making incredible transforming toys, I'd love to see them take on Dorvack and BGC designs at some point. Mugen's Calibur and Ovelon's Gazette helicopter are two great designs that beggar for innovative updates, and even if Takara does them as future Roadbuster and Whirl figs, I fear they just won't be faithful to the OG designs with too many liberties taken. I'd really love to see what Sentinel would do with G1 Starscream, but that'll never happen so I can only try to imagine how they'd attempt it if they tried to make his F-15 mode more accurate to the actual aircraft, unlike the obnoxiously atrocious MP-52.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Oh, wow, I did not remember that at all! The only KS I remember having a MotoSlave was Priss, probably b/c she was most featured with it. Actually, she had two different models if memory serves; the second one had a sentient A.I. IIRC which surprised Priss but proved pretty useful in battle. Been probably 5 or 6 years since I last watched it, and I have trouble remembering what I did ten minutes ago, so thanks for setting me straight and forgive my semi-senility.
  11. M'Kyuun
    The Tread-Legioss connection is cool, but it seems odd, at least to me, that more of the rear of the Legioss isn't subsumed by the Tread for a more homogenized craft overall. That's my take as a LEGO mecha builder and just as a longtime mecha fan. Regardless, that's not what the original designers did and the result, a jet perched somewhat precariously on a thin stick in front of a much larger, oddly proportioned, but cool nonetheless, spaceplane is what we have instead. I'm looking forward to both potential Legioss rereleases (I wasn't aware of the first rerelease) and the release of the blue Tread to go with my lone Sentinel Legioss. My Legioss is a first release, and the shoulders are still incredibly stiff; I wouldn't mind adding the green one to my collection, hopefully with looser shoulder joints. I'd be content with a single Tread, as I've never owned one, I'm super impressed with Sentinel's take on the Legioss, and I feel that their take on the Tread will be no less impressive. Not sure where I'll put the big SOB, but I'll make room somewhere for it. 😁 Gonna have to keep posted to this thread for when POs go up- definitely want to score one of these. Referring to the MoShow ride armors, let me preface by saying I've never been a fan of the design; I far prefer a bike that becomes a mech like the Garland or the MotoSlave over a fragmenting bike that becomes armor for the rider. That said, for what it is, I think the new takes look pretty good. Still not my cuppa, but from an aesthetics POV, I think they look cool. I'd love to see Sentinel take a crack at the MotoSlave. I have Linna and her green MotoSlave (which she never had in the anime, but whatever😄). I missed the boat on initial release; Priss would've been my obvious first choice, but Linna's was within the realm of affordability, so I got her just to have a copy of the Yammie MotoSlave. It's a fickle toy and Linna's arm's pop off at the merest touch. I'd love to see Sentinel do a slightly upscaled, better articulated, and more robust version with far more solid Knight Saber figs. Digits crossed.
  12. M'Kyuun
    POs are up on Pulse for the TF One figs. Bee's already sold out, but Alpha Trion and Elita-1 are still available. I POed Elita. One. I notied that Pulse doesn't have the usual range of toy pics for these as they usually do. You get one pic of each mode and that's it, just repeated to fill all the slots usually reserved for action shots and such. Kinda would've liked to see Elita's bike mode from a higher angle, but I generally dig TFs with bike modes, so I plunged.
  13. M'Kyuun
    There's no contest that a large contingent of Macross fans prioritize the fighter mode. I'm not one of those, as I display all my valks in battroid. It's bit of an irony considering my interest in planes, but no less true. That said, I love the satisfaction of transforming a valk and having a realistic looking jet in my hand with retractable gear, an opening canopy, and sometimes even moving wings or flight controls. It's a feeling I seldom get from transforming a Transformers jet. I'm in the minority of Macross collectors to be sure, but I doubt I'm the only one who enjoys that aspect of collecting the high-end Macross toys. As to articulation, the only real limitation that most valks have is with hip abduction, or "the Van Damme" as Skullface likes to call it. Still, the valks I own can do a decent spread for a suitable A-stance for posing. I can't do the splits myself, and I've never put any of my Transformers capable of it in such a pose so it's less important to me than having a full range in the arms, a feature the majority of my Macross collection enjoys. Most valks, too, have limited or no waist swivel due to how they transform. Again, it's never really bothered me. I appreciate it when they can, but before waist swivel and then ab crunch became popular wants among Transformers fans, neither seemed that important to me personally. I also eschew partsforming, a necessity among many of the High Metal toys, which is one of the reasons I don't collect that line. Although some valks have swappable accessories and weapons, none of the valks in my collection require partsforming to achieve any of the three modes. That'll change soon, however, when I receive my copy of Bandai's DX YF-21, and believe me, I'm not at all happy about the partsforming aspects of the toy, especially for the price. But, I prefer the battroid proportions over the Yamato's and that was the deciding factor. As a Transformers fan since the beginning, I differ from the crowd who want absolute 'Sunbow accuracy', an oxymoron if ever there was one. I was a fan of the Hasui approach, marrying aspects of both toon and toy into the best amalgamation to represent the character. I like details, textures, greebles and mechanical bits; after all, these are robots so those things are apropos. I think Has/Tak are doing a good job in this vein with the current mainline and SS86 figs, although sometimes they lean one way or the other and I find myself wishing they'd taken a different approach but overall, I'm pretty pleased. Magic Square and Newage have certainly leaned hard into the Sunbow look, although they still manage to throw some G1 toy details in here and there. So far as taking an alt mode like a fighter or a ground vehicle, I can attest from my own experience designing transforming mecha with LEGO that I always start with the alt mode and work towards the bot mode. I'm inclined to think, however, that Takara may take a different approach, at least where jetformers are concerned, as they so rarely even incorporate the arms into the jet and generally, the jet bits, especially forward fuselages, are undersized or otherwise disproportionate. Whatever their approach, more often than not I'm left with a feeling of frustration and disenchantment, especially when so much more care is taken with hiding bot bits in ground vehicle modes. After forty years of collecting Transformers with mostly crappy jet modes, Macross has become my refuge for beautiful transforming jets; it's my primary draw to the franchise although Macross Plus owns me for numerous reasons. It's just a damned excellent anime.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Well, when this is their latest F-15 alt for a masterpiece entry, I have little faith in them. That said, MP-03 had a far more accurate F-15 mode thanks to Kawamori's inputs. The bot mode suffered, but the F-15 looked good, which illuminates the variances in philosophy between Kawamori's Macross and Takara's Transformers designs. Diaclone, too, which Kawamori had a hand in designing, also had a heavier focus on the vehicle modes, as originally, they were conceived of as vehicles that turn into robots instead of the other way around. The Top Gun crossover, Maverick, borrowing a bit from the VF-1, is another notable entry as well as the Generations deluxe Scourge which was inspired by the Boeing X-48 blended wing concept. The latter is one of my all-time favorite aircraft alt modes and my favorite version of Scourge. I also like the recent Dreadwing Prime homage, which also borrows a little from Macross design, burying the arms within the fighter mode and using the legs to form the fuselage and engines. Animated's Lugnut, even with his toony proportions, and the inspired excellent main line voyager figure in 2010 are rare examples of Takara's producing incredible non-fighter aircraft that hide the robot mode exceptionally well. 2010 was a good year for retro Transformer plane designs, as we also got the P-38 Lightning inspired Highbrow. And let's not forget 2009's RotF's Ransack, a WWI biplane that, at scout class, was really well done and would fly circles, pun intended, around anything in the current core class. Kudos to Fans Toys , as, to wit, theirs is the only version of Silverbolt that utilizes the Concorde's long fuselage to form the robot instead of consolidating the entirety of the robot into a giant block that's carried by a Concorde fuselage which ends up folding onto blocko'bot's back with no other contribution to transformation. I've long become disenchanted with Superion toys, as they almost all end up following the frustrating old formula of blocky bots with plane parts tacked on or blocky bots underslung under an anemic aircraft fuselage that has virtually no contribution to the bot mode. I give credit to FT for trying to break the formula, but there's still a lot of bot kibble under the wings and their Concorde's side profile looks too short and too fat. perhaps it's the camera angle, but while the top-down pics look alright, that side pic does it no favors. Due to their faithfulness to the 80s toys, Fans Toys' take on Skydive finds its F-16 mode also suffering from the need to contain a blocky bot. As an aircraft fan and an Air Force retiree who's been around military planes and helicopters throughout his career, I have a jaundiced eye when it comes to transforming aircraft, especially fighters, which have purposefully sleek aerodynamic shapes that are often tossed asunder to favor blocky robot modes. The number of decent aircraft modes created by Takara over the last 40 years is quite small relative to the number of aircraft alt-moded bots they's produced. I tend to gravitate more to Macross, as Kawamori has oft demonstrated his ability to maintain a sleek realistic looking aircraft mode, especially fighters, and yet coax beautiful robot modes out of them. Notable mention to TFC toys for their designs as well as Touch Toys' recent releases. Chinese toy developers, who've long dominated the third-party Transformers market, have established themselves as masters of the genre and these two companies (or is it the same company having undergone a name change?) are proving that a sleek fighter need not be a blocky bot or vice-versa. The fact that they are using licensed military aircraft and producing incredibly realistic and accurate versions of them that transform into interesting and fully articulated robots is nothing short of commendable. Directly or indirectly, I really don't want to support the CCP, but I'd be remiss if I didn't say I was incredibly tempted by these amazing toys. Touch Toys has a transforming Chinese Y-20 cargo plane coming out soon, and I'm very tempted, as cargo planes are far rarer as transforming toys than fighters, for reasons that I think are obvious, and having an affinity for cargo planes, I'm definitely tempted. And just as a qualifier, this is a transforming cargo plane I built from LEGO about ten years ago. I endeavor to hold myself to the same standards I hold to other transforming toy makers, a task made more difficult due to the limitations of the medium. I'm critical of transforming plane makers, but I hold myself to the same, if not more scathing, criticism. However, as much as I complain, I'm not totally jaded: there are, as I have enumerated, any number of transforming aircraft designs that are good to great, exceptional even, and I like to point to some of those as counterpoints to my own criticism. I want and wish for better transforming aircraft and it's always a pleasant surprise when something like Has/Tak's Lugnut (both versions) or Touch Toys' Carefray (the Chinese version of the American F-35) comes out and gives hope that good-looking planes without robot kibble spoiling the appearance are still produced from time to time. I wish they got the same love and care as most carformers, but I guess the rarity of the good ones just makes them all the more special and enjoyable.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Have you seen Bandai's 1/48 take? I don't own one myself so I can't speak from experience, but it represents a newer take on the old design. It still maintains the thin battroid proportions, however, but I think that just works for the design overall. The toon, like most, tended to exaggerate proportions from mode to mode. Personally, I like it and still love the look of my YamArcadia VF-1s as well. You're right- it's heretical. 😄 That fighter mode is gorgeous, even today after so many other valks. I wouldn't want to mess with it beyond the super deformed stuff, which has its own charm. I even own an SD Max version from Kitz Concept. Exactly. I wouldn't hesitate, as there's no guarantee that magic Square will follow suit, although.... You couldn't be more correct and the time more opportune. Moreover, I think Magic Square has crafted the absolutely best transformable G1 Megatron in existence thus far. He's clean with great sculpting, has a transformation that follows the G1 toy's schema (arms form the back part of the slide, chest forms the slide, legs form the handle), excellent articulation, great proportions. The only knock I can really find against it is that his trigger gives the illusion that he has a little tail. For everything else that's done so incredibly right, I can live with it. I want this in CHUG and MP scales so vehemently. I hope they see what Newage is doing and don't just meet them, but exceed them with an upscaled version to match the SS86 Prime fig. Honestly, if I had my druthers, I'd take Magic Square's current OP fig upscaled to SS86 scale as well, as I feel they have the best OP fig in existence currently. It's more accurate and better articulated than even SS86 and I'd ecstatically welcome CHUG scaled figs of their OP and Megs for my collection.
  16. M'Kyuun
    I enjoyed your thoughts, Mike, knowing that you're far more invested in Transformers than Macross. Regarding your thoughts of the Yamato VF-1 2.0 as a collector's piece, when it originally came out circa 2008, it was revolutionary relative to all other VF-1 toys, including their own previous attempt. At the time, its articulation was next-level- double jointed elbows hadn't really made much of an appearance on transforming toys yet. It may seem a little dated by current standards, but that's because it is dated. Regardless, I still have a warm spot in my heart for it (I own at least four copies of Yamato/Arcadia 1/60 VF-1s) and I've long thought that it would be the perfect toy to convert into Jetfire. I got my wish, and aside from some of the paint details being wrong or omitted for a proper G1 Jetfire homage, I'm still really pleased with how it turned out. I ordered a copy last night, in fact, so it won't be long before I have him in hand. Personally, from a scale POV, I think he works better with CHUG, as his jet mode would actually be properly proportionate compared to general car modes. I wish vehicle scale had been prioritized from the beginning over bot scale, but that's a horse that has long since skeletonized. Anyway, as @Chronocidal mentioned, I'm sure Toyhax will have our backs with some proper decals to make our Fugu Jetfire even more Jetfirey. Digressing, I mentioned yesterday that Newage, one of the most notable 3P legends scale TF toy makers currently, intends to release a CHUG scaled G1 Megatron that turns into a gun as an option over the upcoming SS86 Megatron which is going to have a tank alt mode. I had pondered whether or not they were just going to upscale their legends fig or build a new fig from scratch, and it seems they chose the latter direction. While I admit I think the thighs look a bit too thick and I'm not the craziest about seeing his trigger in his inner thighs, overall, I think it's a commendable effort and I far prefer a proper G1 Megs that turns into a gun over one that turns into a tank. A tank makes more sense; it's an argument I won't refute b/c it's absolutely true, but the fact remains that in the OG toyline, show and '86 film, Megatron transformed into a Walther P38 pistol, and by the Matrix, that's what I want for my CHUG collection. And so, I've already POed this guy. I really, really wish Magic Square would follow suit and just upscale their amazing legends fig, but at this point any option is a good one and Newage can be counted on for good engineering, materials, and paint. Looking forward to having him in hand, a long-awaited dream come true. One caveat: it would seem Newage designed him to scale with ER Prime, as SS86 Prime stands noticeably taller. I love my ER Prime fig, so I can live with it.
  17. M'Kyuun
    A rather underwhelming PulseCon. Thanks to @mikeszekely, I got a copy of Cosmos when he initially released, and I already own Dirge and Ramjet; Thrust is the Conehead I'm waiting to be rereleased. Essentially, I already own all the rereleases shown and have no interest in the rest. I am glad, however, that Cosmos, OG Bee, the Coneheads, and any other originally store exclusive releases are getting a second wider releases for those who missed them the first time. Exclusives suck, and the Hasbro guys implicitly acknowledged it. At least there's an awareness there, although I doubt exclusives will end anytime soon since Hasbro makes money off of them and I doubt the designers or marketers have much say in those decisions. I will say, though, I'm always in awe of the enthusiasm and enjoyment they genuinely take in what they do and in the various franchises in which they toil. I'd love to see what they could really pump out if they had larger budgets to work with per size classes, as that always seems to be the limiting factor between a so-so release and a truly good one. Got a chuckle over some of the comments referring to Hope, the rather fetching new marketer presenting in Star Wars. Missed Emily who always brings a lot of charm and enthusiasm to these things. Hopefully she'll be presenting for the Devy reveal which I'm looking forward to. I skipped on the CW version b/c the individual Constructicons were so poorly executed. I'm assuming Devy will be part of SS86, and thus very G1 faithful. I vehemently wish they'd done the entire team at voyager scale, which would make their construction vehicle modes scale better alongside carbots, but my understanding is that the limbs will be deluxes. Not the best but IIWII. At this point, I'm just hoping that the individual Constructicons will have full articulation, and that Devastator will connect solidly and feature a decent range of articulation and be stable.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Egg on my face-- I own that figure and totally forgot that it was a licensed Porsche! That being a given, Missing Link Jazz is definitely probable, especially given his popularity, at least on this side of the pond. Not sure how popular he is in Japan, however. I still have my OG toy, whose roof fell off years ago when the trans-plastic loop that holds it on cracked, so i wouldn't mind replacing him with a ML version.
  19. M'Kyuun
    So I just learned this morning that Newage is planning to make a G1 Megatron figure that transforms into a gun in scale with SS86. I have mixed feelings, as I'm glad there'll be an option, as we'll never get that in an official toy, but having Newage's legends fig and Magic Square's far superior version, I wish it was magic Square upsizing their nigh perfect G1 Megs to fill the slot. There are no pics yet so Newage may start from the ground up, and if so, given some of their previous engineering marvels (like their Dinobots and Skyfire), this may end up being an excellent fig and a great placeholder at the least in a mainline collection beggaring for a proper G1 Megatron with his original alt mode. I preordered my copy already, as this has been at the top of my want list for some time. I hope it turns out great!
  20. M'Kyuun
    At this point, just about any character is possible, with Jetfire likely one of the few exceptions due to licensing. Not sure where Porche stands at this point, but VW capitulated to the almighty lure of lucre years ago over their ridiculous "no war toys" stance, so hopefully Porche will follow suit and we can have a proper licensed Jazz. I'm not really into this line so much as I prefer the look and engineering of modern toys; however I'd be remiss if I didn't admit a certain nostalgic tug towards G1 Prowl, my first TF toy, or G1 Megatron whose toy I always wanted but to date have never owned. A Missing Link version of both would certainly be welcome. Soundwave and his cassettes as well. I wonder how they'll approach Ironhide and Ratchet given their desire to so closely match the OG toys. There wasn't much to work with regarding the robot portion of those toys, with most of the van being made up of the treaded weapons platform, or "tread sled" as I like to call it. Arcee is an interesting surprise, although I confess it's not doing much for me. I applaud the effort, but to my eyes, it communicates the odd and awkward proportions inherent of many of the G1 toys. Sunstreaker, however, looks pretty good to me. When they get around to Hound, I'm curious how they'll address the OG toy's stubby T-Rex arms to actually make them proportionate and useful. As I mentioned, my toy collecting interest lies elsewhere for the most part, but I concede to curiosity how Takara will approach certain characters, given the limitations of the OG toys, and who among the expansive pantheon of characters will get the ML treatment. I'm happy for G1 collectors, as this breathes new life into an old line of toys, kinda giving us a retrospective look at how the toys may have been had the technology and mindset been advanced at the time. It's cool and I look forward to seeing where Takara goes with it and what surprises it may hold. Arcee certainly make the list.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I'm here for ya! 😜
  22. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, definitely not random. he did a decent job as Starscream, too. His Wheeljack wasn't there, but y'know, they had a lot of guys doing voices back in the day and even with all their talents, few VAs really have the range of Frank Welker or Scott McNeil. I wish they'd called on more of the OG VAs to do voices for this production, but some of them may be retired, unavailable, or sad to say, one with the Matrix. I enjoyed it more for the effort, but I still prefer the original voice track- I just think they nailed inflection, tone, feeling, etc so well in those first three episodes. It set the stage well for seasons to come, though I feel like they departed from that more serious tone in the second season and beyond. Anyway, it sounds like both Frank and Arif have serious reverence both for the show and certainly for the older generation VAs who brought those characters to life so vividly and memorably in the original show, and for that alone, I'm glad they had the opportunity to do the voices in place of Chris Latta and Scatman Crothers, two cartoon VA greats who definitely left lasting impressions. I'll toss Kasey Kasem in there, too. As to '86 Steeljaw, I knew beforehand what I was getting, but somehow having it in hand only deepens the disappointment at just how poorly done it really is. @mikeszekely's comparisons with Eject, arguably the best cassette bot thus far in this sub-micro-cassette scale that Hasbro created for WFC/Legacy, highlight even further just how craptastic Steeljaw is. Added to the lackadaisical engineering and lack of articulation the need to partsform part of the lion mode and the supposed esteem of the Studio Series line is dubious. The G1 toy was far better executed. It may have been a lion shaped wafer, but at least the wafer became a recognizable lion with articulated legs (3 points both fore and aft). This thing looks like a yellow Pomeranian. I can live with the accessories partsforming, though I'd rather they integrate given advancements and progression in transforming toy techniques. At this thing's scale, though, some concession is understandable. I'd have rather they just replicated the g1 toy at the smaller Legacy scale- at least it would have had more poseability and a better cassette mode. Like most of Hasbro's cassette efforts thus far, it only cements my profound hope that Dr. Wu will get around to making all the main cassettes as there's a need and a want there, at least on my end. Regarding the TF: One toys, my Wally has them, or had them as of last Tuesday. I want to see the movie, but honestly, the aesthetic, especially concerning the alt modes, doesn't grab me. My feelings in that regard aren't hurt, as space is really becoming an issue for me. To that end, any toy I feel I can skip without regret, I happily do so.
  23. M'Kyuun
    From a fellow with a stutter to becoming one of the most iconic voices in film history, James Earl Jones made an impact that few will ever eclipse. As @Hikuro mentioned, he rarely played lead roles, though he definitely made an impact as Mufasa. I still get goosebumps watching Lion King. He shone, however in supporting roles. He always had presence, a likeability to him, and that great baritone delivery. For Star Wars fans, certainly, his passing is a sad certainty that never again will we hear the true Dark Lord of the Sith utter another word. Imitators and A.I. may try, but there was only one James Earl Jones. Rest in Peace, good sir.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I think the Doc's doing a pretty good job with them as well based entirely on product pics and @mikeszekely's comprehensive reviews. My personal druthers for Dr. Wu's products rest with his impressive Legacy-scaled micro-cassette figs of which he's done a fairly limited number thus far. I have both his versions of Slamdance and Squalkbox, and for their sizes, they're well-done and easily eclipse Hasbro's sub-lackluster cassettes (except Eject who is by far the best official cassette bot they've done thus far in their inexplicably preferred undersized micro-cassette scale). Dr. Wu has more cassettes on the way: Decibel, another combiner from the Japanese cartoon, as well as his versions of Overkill and Slugfest. My hope is that he'll eventually get around to doing the primary cast of cassette bots: Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat, as the official versions leave much to be desired. I will say, however, SS86 Rumble was almost great: They could have omitted the crappy non-functional pile drivers in lieu of working elbows, which would have made him pretty much perfect at that scale. The engineering and appearance in both modes is fantastic; cassette mode suffers a little, but it's still better than most. I was hoping some third party would make new arms for him with working elbows (and perhaps even minimally functional drivers), but to wit, nobody has, more's the pity.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Although not on the same level as Macross, Mospeada, etc, 52 Toys has some interesting stuff, especially their more recent figures over the past two years where their engineering has been improving. Most of their toys are robot animals that convert into cubes, but they've also produced teams of vehicles (construction, submarines, jet fighters, and most recently a racing car and sci-fi motorcycle) that can combine in different ways to form humanoid robots. They've also partnered up with a couple of Japanese designers who created a line of creatures called BeastDrive that can transform into vehicles, such as their inaugural figure, a sporty car that turns into a Velociraptor. They come as kits which contain the central articulated frame and several sprues of add-on armor bits to flesh out the model. I have this one and I was surprised by how clever the transformation is and by the level of articulation. It was easy to assemble and looks good in both modes. The only gripe is that the deco is achieved via waterslides. I'd never really done waterslides before, but I took my time and got them all applied. IMHO it makes a huge difference over just a plain white car. I have their rabbit/stealth plane and Ptero/car on order. Chinese company Sci-Figure Industry made a transforming J20 fighter jet and a WZ-10 attack helicopter, both licensed Chinese aircraft, that are very well-crafted toys with complex transformations and highly articulated robot modes. The realism of the vehicle modes is the real plus with both designs, giving little indication of their transforming nature. I have the Aegocopter WZ-10 figure and it is a very impressive fig in-hand. Transformation is rather involved, but man is the chopper mode impressive. Touchtoys is another Chinese company producing very realistic licensed Chinese vehicles with complex transformations. Among their designs are a Y20 transport plane, an HQ-9 Mobile SAM launcher, a J-35 fighter, a 055 type Destroyer ship, and a J-16 fighter.
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