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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Man, Takara really did a great job with those legs and sandwiching the lower tank body into them. That's an excellent looking Megatron. I still, wish, however, that they'd brought the same A-game to the turret, as the scope just looks too much like a scope and breaks the illusion. Moreover, the pistol barrel sticking out of the end of the scope just doesn't really look appealing or realistic; it looks exactly like what it is, a pistol barrel awkwardly sticking out of a gun scope. I hope third parties address it with better looking more realistic solutions to make the tank mode look better. It's a shame they couldn't get it closer to this concept art.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Ultimately, though, it's likely going to be older folks who steer the younger to it, be they parents, aunts or uncles, older friends, etc. It is heartwarming, however, to see younger reviewers like a certain British reviewer who (notoriously) gets the toys in hand well before their releases to do his reviews. I'm glad he's on there and that he has embraced G1 with zeal, as younger viewers may be more inclined to watch his channel over those like Emgo, although Emgo's humor may draw them in, too. Suffice it to say, the majority of TF reviewers that I'm aware of are likely in their forties or over and may not appeal to kids so I'm hoping more younger reviewers embrace G1 and keep the torch burning for future generations. Too, hopefully many of those younger fans will become designers for Hasbro and keep the toys coming for those future fans. Likewise in Japan with Takara-Tomy. Moreso in Japan, as that's actually where the toys are designed; no shade on Evan or Mark, but I don't think Hasbro could design a transforming toy from scratch if they had to. I'd love to see an American toy company formed that does just that, perhaps with their own IP. I'd love to see the 80s transforming toy craze make a return full gusto, inspiring today's kids to want to take that up as a profession. Perhaps there'd even be a college course: Designing transforming toys 101. That would be my utopia. Seems like China is cornering the market on transforming toys today, and more power to them, as evidenced by much of their output. I wish we'd catch that bug here in the US; we could do with more transforming robot lines and fiction, new approaches, new aesthetics (again which the Chinese are doing), and above all, new toys and models. Hasbro's ruled the transforming robot toy realm in the US for far too long without any challengers (Gobots only ran from '83-87, and Hasbro bought the brand from Tonka in '91). I'd love to see them get some competition. Heck, if I had the wherewithal and the finances, I'd do it myself. For now, it's just a dream, and I explore my own creativity and desires for these things through LEGO.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Likewise. I get why it's included when it is, but I never use it. Just give me the character and his/her usual weapon(s) and put any additional leftover budget into engineering, paint, or tampo.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate your insights, Scyla, and you're correct so far as the design methodologies and prioritization. Maverick was indeed done far better than Takara's usual fare, but they also took obvious inspiration from the VF-1 to their credit. Perhaps Kawamori even offered them some guidance. Regardless, it's a rare example of a more realistic and sleek jet mode uncompromised by blocky robot bits or arms dangling off the sides of the plane. When they worked with Kawamori to design MP-03, what we got was arguably the most accurate F-15 fighter mode in TF history, but the bot mode suffered a number of concessions for it. Contrarily, MP-52 went entirely in the opposite direction and what we got was an extremely toon accurate bot mode with a heavily compromised F-15 mode. The pendulum swing within the franchise is pretty wide. Obviously, I prefer Kawamori's approach, as he is able to cobble some really nice-looking bot modes from sleek realistic albeit fictional fighters. I wish the fighter mode was a little more important to Takara, that they would strike a greater balance making both modes look good instead of prioritizing the bot. I realize, too, that, at least when dealing with G1 jetformers, they're tied to their blocky 80s robot designs and cubes and sleek jets do not a good formula make so far as preserving the latter. They have proven, however, such as with Legacy Prime Dreadwing/Skyquake, that they are capable of making a sleeker jet, even if this particular example is a bit on the chonky side. Still it integrates the arms and the overall appearance looks proportional and jet-like. I have both characters b/c I liked the mold so much. I read your comment even while I was in the midst of typing my own. As ususal, our perspectives match. And, seeing Scyla's point, too, I don't think it's necessarily that Takara can't pull off a sleek fighter mode, as they've proven they can, but they're just not interested in doing so most of the time, which is unfortunate as they do a disservice to people like us who really like jets and wish more TFs enjoyed sleeker, more realistic or accurate jet modes without being so heavily compromised for the sake of the bot mode. For Pete's sake, they can make a pretty realistic motorcycle turn into a decent bot, but not a jet, which has a whole lot more real estate to work with. It's purely a lack of care, and yeah, I think it's b/c the fandom has been fed shitty jet modes for 40 years so why start trying now. I think it's telling that Maverick got a lot of negative commentary from fans; it just shows that they've been indoctrinated into accepting egregiously compromised jets. I had to cringe when I watched vid reviews of a few of the recent Aerialbots with commentors gushing over how good the jet looked. Like, really? Have you ever seen an F-15, a Harrier, an F-4 Phantom, the Concorde, or an F-16? I just have to shrug and shake my head. But yep, TF fans love shitty jet modes and Takara/Hasbro by extension, is there for them. Thank goodness I can take refuge in Macross and that companies like Touch Toys are bringing an alternate reality for fans of transforming robots and sleek jets.
  5. M'Kyuun
    After about four and half hours, I finally got the thing transformed. The transformation itself wasn't too bad, although I encountered a little difficulty understanding what was being done once I reached the groin section in the instructions and switched to a video for the rest. Other issues I had were really tight panel connections- this thing was so well engineered that it's often difficult to tell where the panels separate and getting them to do so, I had trouble getting the shoulders to snap into place, I didn't move the waist connector far enough initially- it has a strong snap- so I partially dismantled the torso for better access. I initially couldn't figure out how to get the loincloth to fold and was afraid of breaking it, so I finagled with that for a while. It's complex, not altogether intuitive IMHO, interesting to say the least, and well-executed overall. The fighter mode is gorgeous, and as I mentioned, unlike most Hasbro/Takara stuff, the panel lines are very difficult to spot and sometimes not at all, so well-toleranced is the molding. A tool for separating panels and such is pretty much a necessity, and Touch Toys has you covered as they provide one. It comes in a sealed pouch along with some cards. In my infinite wisdom, I thought it was just a bonus weapon, so I put it back in the pouch. I didn't realize what it was for until I watched the video (Mangmotion) thus I'll spare anyone here getting a copy the mistake I made as well as your fingernails. It's definitely a neat figure and I'm glad I got him. I've long wished for a transforming Su-27 Flanker, or a close facsimile thereof, and this scratches that particular itch. While I don't expect Takara to make their stuff this complex, they could learn a thing or two about making seamless realistic transforming fighters from Touch Toys. Well, it's quite late and I'm falling asleep at the keyboard. Cheers all.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I have thoughts and opinions. 😄 I too grew up with G1, although I was thirteen when it premiered, a little older than the target demographic. Nevertheless, the concept sang to the deepest core of my being and still does. I also want the best versions of those characters, although my view of that skirts somewhere between toon'accuracy', toy, and box art. Anyway, since G1 lies at the core of my collecting, I'm also down for whatever Hasbro has to do to provide that and if that means taking up a copious chunk of Studio Series doing characters that didn't show up in the film, well that's fine by me. I make no secret that I vehemently abhor the Bayverse films. However, I acknowledge, with gratitude, that they were successful, the financial windfall thereof benefitting the brand across all lines including Classics, Animated, and Prime. Although Studio series was initially created to highlight the live-action line, I've had no problem accepting that it has grown to include general media from films to games and perhaps eventually tv series. While my initial inclination, nasty though it may be, is to say "F**k Bayverse fans" for their hard feelings over the enduring popularity of G1 and its subsuming of a good deal of Hasbro's toy production, I'm not without empathy and I know how I'd feel if the shoe was on the other foot with Bayverse becoming the most popular part of the franchise and G1 fading away and getting less and less representation. I'd be angry, disappointed, and frustrated, and so I feel for my fellow fans who, for reasons I'll never understand, love the Bay films. Indeed, Hasbro's walking a fine line to avoid alienating fans of other aspects of the franchise, which continues to grow with every new show and film, and even independent toy lines all while dealing with the financial reality that certain parts of the franchise do better than others. I'm eternally and profoundly thankful that G1 maintains its hold on fans, as it should, IMHO, for kick-starting it all and heavily informing every other incarnation. However, I do hope that fans of non-G1 Transformers get their due in plastic as well, as everybody deserves to be served. I appreciate the honesty of Evan, Mark, and the various marketers who do these fanstreams, and I hope they can offer some hope to fans who are wishing for holes to be filled or explain why they're not, at least for the present. For myself, the Omnibots remain a void in the G1 collection and I hope they get toys eventually, too, but I get the frustration from fans who want characters that have been in media, perhaps with prominence, and still aren't getting their updated toys. Patience may be a virtue, but sometimes it's a hard one to embrace.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Good timing on the premium membership. I'm in for SS86 Megatron, Scavenger, and Mixmaster, perhaps TFOne Starscream (transformation's a little lazy, but I still like the overall look of him. I can accept a little more wonkiness on a Cybertronian jet alt mode as opposed to one based on a real aircraft), and KSI Widow (undeniably beautiful car mode and I'm really digging the bot mode they cooked up for her. There's just something intrinsically cool about using the front of the car to inform overly large shoulders or shoulder pauldrons. The rest of her has some pretty good proportions as well, although she's a bit thicc in the calves which likely limits their range to 90 degrees. Standard fare for a deluxe. I can live with it b/c there's no alternative.😄) Given the question at the end of the stream, I responded an unequivocal 'YES' to all G1 bots featuring in the SS86 product line. That may be a little controversial, but judging by the overwhelmingly high number of yes votes, I'm obviously not alone in that sentiment. I also saw, to by heart's jubilation, a number of folks requesting a non-death SS86 Prowl figure, and though I really like my ER Prowl and have invested time and money into making him as close to the G1 toy and box art as possible, I'm always down for a new improved version of the character. I also put in a request for Omnibots and I saw at least one other comment requesting the same. I hope they do them, as they're already doing and have done far more obscure characters and toy updates and for Primus' sake, they're just really due some updated toys in the main line. Oh yeah, I also saw a number of folks mentioning Mirage as a part of that question and given the lackluster toys we got for Siege and Earthrise, a new G1 accurate mold is long overdue. I'm still using the Classics toy in my First Season display, waiting patiently for that better toy to come along. Full disclosure, I love the Classics toy, along with Hound, who's also my S1 placeholder, both of whom were designed by Alex Kubalsky. Shame he left Takara, but MMC has certainly benefitted from his genius. Fortunately, a good deal of his design philosophy has been embraced and carried forward since his departure, to our great benefit as toy collectors and fans.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I'm glad Hasbro decided to upscale the minibots and it's not at all surprising to see more coming beyond the fact that there was no previous announcement or leak. I'll be happy to have Powerglide, Windcharger, and Seaspray on my shelf. I'm not familiar with Swerve or Tailgate as characters, but if the toys turn out alright, and thus far I've been rather pleased with the minibots they've done thus far, I'll probably pick them up as I did with past versions, at least Tailgate; I don't think I own a single version of Swerve. Man, it's been so long since I watched Prime that I had to look him up. I remember that toy being a bit fidgety and certainly not their best effort in that line. Considering those toys enjoyed a level of complexity higher than today's deluxes, my skepticism that they'll do an accurate capture runneth over. Guess we'll see. Most disappointing but given the amount of time that has elapsed since Kingdom, where in fact he did appear in the box art, I guess it's not unexpected that it won't come to fruition at this point unless Mark or Evan or one of the other powers that be (perhaps a Takara designer) really wants it. That Kingdom art had a lot of us hopeful, I think. I saw this announced on TFW2005 a while back and I thought it interesting given how far the toon version varied from the Diaclone toys. (Eternal thanks to Floro Dery) I don't think they were bad toys in the context of Diaclone, i.e. mecha suits for little dudes, but in terms of being sentient anthropomorphic bots, they just didn't really fit in with the rest of the Autobot gang. That said, I still have my G1 Ratchet, the only one of the van bros I owned. Even then, it just felt jarringly different. The decision to do them in Missing Link is odd given all the other bots that more closely comport to their toon versions, but I guess in terms of just updating all the G1 toys with articulation, they're a must, especially given the prominence of the characters. I think it'd be interesting if Takara found a way to give them their odd G1 configuration and then combine the weird upper body with bits of the treaded chariot to create a bot mode more reminiscent of Dery's design, essentially making them triple changers in a sense. I don't collect Missing Link (just give me Prowl, please), but I'd love to see them pull off some cool engineering if they indeed make the attempt to do as I described. As far as doing a Decepticon, I think they'd get the most mileage out of Soundwave due to his bevy of cassette minions who they can repaint to their heart's content. If they do Megatron, my interest is piqued as well. The G1 toy always fascinated me, and while I now own 'perfected' versions of that toy and character, something about the original toy still grabs me and I wouldn't mind owning a fully articulated version of it. I figure they made Prime, so they're kinda obligated at some point to do Megs. I'm here for it.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Exactly my point; generally, a person of normal stature is cast in the role so it's a refreshing take to see an LP cast in the role. In the 80s, LPs were cast in a lot of horror and sci-fi movies, but we rarely see them today. Peter Dinklage is certainly the most notable LP working in tv and film today from what I've seen.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Ooh, some interesting ones in there. Deluxe Smokescreen has my attention, but I wonder if it's G1 or some other version of the character. I'm still quite happy with my ER version. Deluxe Powerglide, if G1, sounds promising, as well as Animated Wreck-Gar and Ratchet. Glad to see the rest of the Combaticons on that list; I'll be happy to have another Bruticus, and one that's not as floppy as the CW version. Still waiting for them to do BW Polar Claw. He was my first BW toy, so I have an affinity for him.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Ah, gratuitous blood and gore. This looks like fun. Nice to see a little person, Peter Dinklage, cast in a role where they would usually never even be considered.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I stand corrected. I meant Su-27, but it was quite late, and my brain wasn't running on all cylinders at the time. And yeah, J-16 is the Chinese designation for their version. And while the MiG-27 Flogger isn't that bad, it's certainly no Flanker in terms of aesthetics. The MiG-29 and Su-27 are two of the loveliest fighters in the world, IMHO.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Just checked tracking on mine; it's currently in LA, presumably at LAX waiting for transport. I figure it'll reach me around Thursday. Appreciate the pics, man. Having watched a transformation vid for this thing, it's going to be a slow, meticulous process the first time I transform it. Once I get it in bot mode, I probably won't touch it again. I appreciate the engineering that goes into these complex toys and the toys themselves for the wonders that they are, but there's little fun to be had when transforming the majority of them for fear of breaking something, missing a step, or getting it something wrong and fouling the whole process up. The hard part will be deciding whether to keep it in bot mode, or tackle the transformation once again to get it back in jet mode, as I've long wished for a decent MiG-27 transformer and this is so much better than I ever expected it could be. Knowing myself, it'll just stay in bot mode, but the satisfaction of knowing it can be turned into this gorgeous plane will remain and keep me contented.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Yay! And this time I don't have an appointment!
  15. M'Kyuun
    A little hope is better than no hope at all. Thanks, Mike.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Ooh, perhaps a reserved and dignified "Squeeee!" is in order? Agree on the Tron Lightcycle- timing's great for a nice crossover.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Right there with you. I say this looking at my gorgeous Yamato 1/60 Blazer Valkyrie and YF-19. That's a design you just don't mess with.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I still have interest in certain crossovers: I'd like stuff like a Spinner, a Batmobile (Tumbler or '89 or Arkham Knight), perhaps a Light Cycle, the APC from Aliens, and Airwolf, just to name a few off the top. I think all of those are iconic enough to get the crossover treatment. One caveat, however: I'd want them to be their own characters apart from any others in the associated shows or films. I know that wouldn't happen, but that's my personal want. If that really is a ML tease, then I think that spells good news for potential buyers, as just a white Optimus is only half the package. I think buyers will have to accept a lot more concessions compared to previous releases for it to work. For me personally, it'd be worth the departures from the G1 toy, which was primarily a big red slab, for it to work as armor, and it would obviously have to break up into bits and partsform onto the various apropos body parts. That would work for some fans, but not all.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Actually, I like the photo as-is, with Screamer as the central focus against the sky. My comment was a bit of snark aimed at Has/Tak's usual focus on making the top of the jet look nice while the underside usually looks like a blocky bot or has visible arms hanging off the sides or worse.
  20. M'Kyuun
    While I'm far more a fan of jets than vintage single engine prop-driven aircraft, cartoony or not, a well-done plane alt mode in the Transformers universe is such a rarity that it deserves to be called out as such; in spite of its minor flaws, this is a step above their usual blocky-bot wearing-a-few-plane-bits-and-calling-it-a-plane modus operandi. The kibbly nature of the bot mode, an unfortunate concession, feels as though it could have been managed better. Not everything is perfect with the alt mode either, but between the two, I think the majority will say the plane mode fared better. Despite my liking both the car and the plane, I passed on this set due to preservation of space and a lack of interest in the Sonic brand. That said, I feel that overall execution was done pretty well and despite the various niggles Mike pointed out, I think it achieves the goal of offering a couple characters and their vehicles in a unique way. I'd still like to see a Batmobile repaint of Sonic's car. The plane, too, could prove useful as a repaint/retool, perhaps as a Batman villain or some other character. Both seem ripe for repaints/retools and rereleases.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I still think this has a neat car mode that says "Batmobile" to me, albeit a bit cartoony. I'm not at all into Sonic so I passed on this set, but I recall this and his partner both having good alt modes. What really impresses me from a noteworthy perspective is that both of these are individual new molds. We have long-time established characters that don't even warrant that treatment, so that stings a bit. Anyway, the alt mode of his partner is of particular interest to me and I'm looking forward to the next review.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Got his good side.😁
  23. M'Kyuun
    I was thinking the same thing. All I really wanted were two longer forearms with retractable hands for Bonecrusher, but I'm impressed by how much better his torso appears and by the range of gained articulation. Upgrade in the truest sense. I'm fine with Bonecrusher's stock feet, so the slippers 😄 will stay in the box along with the bugles. I was fine with the hollow bits on Scrapper, but it's nice that they're including fillers for him in the same kit. I have to smile at the presumption that if you have one fig, you're going to have the other one too. 😁 The fillers for Scrapper's calves seem a bit superfluous as they don't really fill the hollows but merely add another couple mms of plastic to their interiors. I hope the new piece that attaches directly to Bonecrusher's shovel has a tight joint as well as a well toleranced tab otherwise his shovel is just going to fall off of his chest. It's not a bad idea to impart some articulation, but the downside is having his chest fall off all the time having lost its anchor to his groin. Nevertheless, I want this kit, if only for those replacement arms. I'll try the rest to test their efficacy, but I have a bad feeling about Bonecrusher's chest. Casting about, it appears that it's a TFSource exclusive for now. I don't want to pay their markup, so I'm waiting to see if TFSafari gets it.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I believe that is exactly the intent. I don't know if a real incident took place as impetus, or if it's just urban legend, but I recall such a story from when I was a kid and over the years repeated. I'm too lazy to employ Google Fu, but suffice it to say, I think the intent was good but the execution a little heavy handed compared to how relaxed the laws are regarding real weapons.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Concerning Wally supplying SWAT, I was being facetious, but you get the point; it's all a bit ludicrous in perspective. And while I think we definitely have a problem with guns in our country, somehow I think they've gone just a little overboard when it comes to regulating toy guns. At the very least, the collector's market should be something separate, as most people aren't going to go around brandishing something like MP-36 to commit their crimes. Doing so itself should be a crime in my book- awesome toy abuse- minimum 20-year sentence with hard labor- book 'em, Danno! Toys are my life, so perhaps I'm a bit biased. I never gave much thought to the variety and strictness of laws from state to state, but I can understand if places like Cali and NY have far more stringent laws as I assume they have, per capita, far more crimes committed with firearms within denser populations. Still, toys, man! Alas, I step down from my ineffectual soapbox.
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