M'Kyuun

17 hours ago, jenius said:

Whoa... your perception is pretty far off base. M7 may be the second most popular Macross of all time. I hope Frontier has beat it out at this point but... yeah... M7 was huge for Macross. Obviously it didn't land well with Western young adult audiences ready for a gritty sequel to Macross but it blew up in Japan. 

So, I stand mostly humbly corrected. I speak, of course, from a Western POV, having not returned to Japan, or Okinawa more specifically, since the early 90s predating both Plus and 7. My entire experience with both is colored by my isolation from Japanese society and culture, not to mention my lack of research before speaking my perceptions. Apologies aplenty.

16 hours ago, DownIsUp said:

Yeah like Jenius just said, the idea that it's not well liked is a purely western conception. Back in Japan, the main market for these shows and toys of course, this is maybe the most influential show in the franchise outside of SDF for starting it. It took Frontier to dethrone it for a lot of fans, and that show was lightning in a bottle. It's the grittier series that tend to fly under the radar, which is pretty much the inverse of how a lot of us perceive the franchise.

Again, I own my mistaken perception. I love Plus; it was in a significant way my doorway to both Macross and a broader appreciation of anime in the mid-90s. It also resonates with me due to its parallels to the real-world competition several years before of the YF-22 and YF-23, of which I've oft opined that the Air Force chose the wrong plane. More than that, though, the grittiness, the sci-fi elements, and the maturity of M+'s various story elements have always held a fascination for me. Plus remains one of if not my favorite anime to this day, so powerfully does it speak to me.

8 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

There certainly was something in the water in Japan during that time 🤣

One wonders, or at least I do, how Seven could possibly be more popular than either the original SDF:M or Plus, but apparently their opinions are colored by different factors than those in the West. As far as questionable water goes, Fukushima Daiichi was years down the road, so we can't blame radiated seafood. 😄 Again, different cultures with different standards and influences.

15 hours ago, Graham said:

Nope.

First episode of Macross Plus OVA released August 1994.

First episode of Macross 7 TV series released  October 1994.

 

I never realized how closely the two series released, but given the dates on the lineart in Kawamori's Macross Design Works, and given the evolutionary nature of the M+ designs from Plus to Seven, I always assumed that Plus was first followed by Seven. I first watched M+ back in '95 and didn't see M7 until about a year or so ago, but the difference in tone and maturity are jarring for two such closely related series.

4 hours ago, MKT said:

Arcadia has re-issued the YF-19 for the umpteenth time, so the mold should have paid for itself quite few times over by now. Yet they are not announcing the VF-19A from the game, which looks like an easy repaint. VF-19A is of course more obscure and perhaps the scheme isn't for everyone, but I wouldn't mind if they do it as a smaller run web exclusive. 

I, too, like the VF-19A paint scheme. If they did release it, though, I'm not sure if I'd get it, as Arcadia's prices are pretty high these days, and my space is really limited. It'd be one of those deals where I stare at it a lot and finally make a decision.

4 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Love Macross plus, but the colour schemes never won me. 

Just the opposite; I love 'em, especially the 19.

4 hours ago, DownIsUp said:

Yeah that is the caveat of waiting for a more desired deco, if nobody buys the first deco no more will get produced. Although I will say given how popular Macross 7 is I would say it's probably not as niche as the game deco would be

Um, my perception has always been that M7 wasn't very popular within the whole of the franchise. The valk designs, like the VF-19, VF-22 and VF-17, however, seem to have risen above the general disdain I've perceived over the years towards the animation. FWIW, I thought M7 was ok, although I didn't care for Basara all that much, and I wasn't crazy about the domestic separation between Max and Milia, two characters who were essentially made for each other. Gamlin was ok. Ray was probably my favorite character, along with Mylene, Max and Milia. Of the Protodevlin, only Sivil stood out to me as an interesting or memorable villain. Not the best series, especially when compared with the original SDF:M, Macross Plus, Frontier, and Zero. Delta and M7 I kinda lump together as the 'lessers' of the franchise. 😄

My copy of Origins Jazz finally came yesterday. I was starting to think maybe Target cancelled yet another of my orders ( still irritated that they canxed my ER Thrust order- I didn't see the renewal email until it was too late). Anyway, he's a bit more shellformery than I thought he'd be, but still a neat addition to the collection. Bring on Wheeljack; hopefully they make him a voyager or even a leader and somehow figure out a way to put Origin Bee in the back to reenact those opening scenes to More than Meets the Eye Pt 1. Otherwise, what's the point?

Was late to the PO party on Pulse, though I did manage to get Magnus. I went to TFSource for SS86 Ratchet and Frenzy, but at least I got 'em POed. Peace of mind.

6 hours ago, F-ZeroOne said:

What more can be said? Her portrayal of the character is the one that every subsequent version had to follow. Rest in peace.

Bruce Timm invented Harley Quinn, but it took someone special to voice her and give her personality, and Arleen certainly succeeded in spades. That the character became hugely popular and a mainstay villain in the Batman Rogue's Gallery to this day and surely for many more years to come is a testament to her talent and ability to project the gamut of human emotions, not to mention that cute NY accent, and her quirky sense of humor through this flawed but loveable psychopathic psychiatrist. Arleen Sorkin may not have graced marquees like Michelle Pfeiffer or Julia Roberts, but for those of us watching B:TAS back in the 90s, she was every bit the star for breathing glorious life into the woman who loved the Joker. RIP

20 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

I'm sure they will. Molds are expensive and need to be milked. 

True, but not if too many fans skip it in hopes of a later Macross Plus game B series color scheme. Personally, I think they should have led with the 5000B and then moved on to the G, as I think it's generally more broadly appealing than the teal, white, and yellow. However, I think the mold itself looks really good- definitely a want for the shelf. I may just suck it up and get the G if only to help sales with the hopes of a later M+ B release. I'm trying to convince myself of its uniqueness amidst the majority of mostly white valks in my collection. A little diversity is good, even if I find it a little cringeworthy.

20 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Yeah, this really looks a early concept he just quickly played with. Very far from being functionality of his other works. 

Unfortunately, this is the final model. Kawamori is known for revisiting certain designs, like the Destroid Monster or the Glaug, not to mention umpteen variants of the VF-1 and VF-25 and their associated armor & booster packs. This is definitely one that could stand some refinement, if only to better integrate those legs into the airframe. I'd love to see it and the VA-3 Invader revisited to refine their looks. The VA-3 is an interesting and unique valk, but my goodness is it ugly, especially that poor battroid mode. My heart breaks for it.💔

On 8/23/2023 at 11:38 AM, twich said:

I’m right there with you! I would love to see these released! I would also like for them to release some other designs from Macross 7, like the Varuna Variable Fighters! How massive would a 1/60 FBz-99G be?

Twich

On 8/23/2023 at 11:46 AM, DownIsUp said:

Oh man, that thing would be over a foot tall at least considering that a 1/60 Nu Gundam is around 14 inches and the Saubergeran is about the same height give or take about half a meter

For sure it'd be sizeable. That said, I'm not crazy about the design; it's downright lazy compared to the majority of Kawamori's other variable designs where he does an admirable job of integrating the bot bits seamlessly into the vehicle mode such that, unless you know, you won't know it transforms. I love that he chose to make a valk version of the B-2 Spirit, but the execution leaves me feeling quite underwhelmed. Don Figueroa's flying wing Megatron design, and Hasbro's subsequent toy, was better executed, which is the polar opposite of what I expect from Kawamori-san and Hasbro, whose track record with aircraft, especially jets, is abysmal at best. However, this stands as one of their better efforts:

 Don Figueroa's art

 Hasbro's figure

As opposed to this, with its obvious legs just hanging out back. Def a step down in design quality from stuff like the VF-1, YF-19, VB-6 and even the Variable Glaug.

19 hours ago, DownIsUp said:

Yeah I agree. I certainly wouldn't mind a re-release of the old Yf-21 and Vf-22 molds, but I'd rather see them move on to new valks instead of spending a lot of time and money developing a 2.0 mold for the -21. Although to be fair, aside from the Varauta mecha there really isn't a lot left to cover aside from variants and paint schemes. Unless Arcadia decides to dip their toes into the Frontier Era and onward, but that seems incredibly unlikely, what with Bandai's undisputed hold on the license so far.

I can understand wanting to move on, but the niggles I have with the Yamato YF-21 were such that I don't even display it anymore, and with two beautiful YF-19s on the shelf without Isamu's friend and rival standing by, I'd very much like to see one or both companies put out a YF-21 with better battroid proportions than the old Yamato.

So far as other valks needing toys, the VF-9 Cutlass, the Variable Glaug, and the VF-14 Vampire top my list, as well as a VF-5000B in the Macross Plus game color scheme. The teal, yellow and white of the VF-5000G is utterly repugnant. 🤢

These colors, though, accentuate the beauty of the valk's design in both modes- just lovely. I hope Arcadia releases it.

On 8/19/2023 at 1:30 PM, Thom said:

That is the risk. When it's the pilots/owners of the planes choosing the take the risk, that's perfectly fine even with a bad outcome. It's when it impacts someone's home that it gets a lot diecier. Still, the thought of any of these old war birds being grounded is like seeing the last Vulcan allowed to do only taxi runs...

Alas, the risk is real, and in this instance, very close to catastrophe. If they're going to insist on flying these older or unreliable airframes, perhaps they should create a separate venue to do so in select unpopulated areas around the country, with appropriate hardened viewing areas for the viewers just in case of emergency. Once those pilots bail, or lose control of the aircraft, it's anybody's guess where they're going to come down. I love aviation as much as anybody (I worked on planes for 15 of my 20 years in the Air Force), but incidents like this make me question whether the risk is worth the pleasure of seeing these old birds fly.  I live near both an Air Force base and an international airport, and there's a crash zone very near to where I live, not to mention I see military aircraft flying over my house on a nigh daily basis, so the risk is literally above me all the time. But at least I know the 50+ year old tankers flying over me are maintained 24-7 and have a very high reliability rate. The same can't be said for personal aircraft, especially those of foreign make. All flight is risky until we conquer gravity, but some risk is far more manageable than others, and with the seeming increase in crashes of privately owned vintage and foreign planes, perhaps there needs to be some heightened standards or tighter regulations/inspection criteria before these planes can be certified safe for flight. 

5 hours ago, Thom said:

He may think it's all magic and faeries.😉

And thankfully no one was hurt on the ground. The wreckage however did stop just short of an apartment complex.

Did some reading up. It was a MiG-23 Flogger privately owned and operated by a former Navy A-6 pilot w/ 200 carrier landings to his credit. The pilot, Dan Filer, makes his living as a United Airlines pilot, so this is a fellow with remarkable experience. I think his intent was to ditch the plane in the water, but while he and his co landed in the water, the plane went on to crash uncomfortably close to an apartment complex. I'm glad that no one got hurt, but the loss of the MiG, a rarity on these shores, is lamentable. Perhaps some of these older planes are better served as museum pieces rather than ending up as smoking wreckage.

On 8/16/2023 at 9:48 AM, Thom said:

A couple days old, but a Mig crashed at the Thunder Over Michigan air show. Both crew out with injuries but recovering, and no injuries on the ground, thankfully.

 

Appalled by the guy at approx 50 seconds in who thinks the crew bailed out on purpose as part of the show. When two chutes come out of a fighter, who does he think is flying it? The girl in the vid telling him the plane's crashing is far more astute regarding what's happening. Anyway, sucks that they had to ditch the plane, and I hope no one on the ground was hurt.

On 8/15/2023 at 7:44 PM, VF-1A Cannon Fodder said:

Complain and buy anyway…rinse, repeat 

Well, let's be honest; there aren't a lot of options when it comes to Macross toys. Either you accept what's proffered, warts and all, or you pass with the likelihood that another toy of a particular valk may not come about for another decade, if that. We're spoiled in the Transformers fandom largely in part because of third party makers providing numerous options beyond official releases, but we don't really have that luxury in Macross. I wish, but we don't. With a dearth of options, is it any wonder that, despite the complaints, many of us still buy what's on offer? 

I wonder if it's a matter of Big West's not wanting to spread the license to too many companies, or that no other companies have an interest in producing Macross toys. Or between Arcadia and Bandai, they've agreed to lock the license between them. IDK, but I'd be down with companies like Sentinel, Takara, or 3Ps like MMC or Fans Toys doling out some Macross goodness. There are still so many cool valk designs that need to be realized in toy form that may never see fruition, and, in such a niche franchise, that's sadder to me than a realized toy with a few flaws.

6 hours ago, renegadeleader1 said:

I picked up the Black Knight's Castle set from a Bricks And Minifigs store in Monroe Washington. I paid $150 for it complete without minifigs. Considering how much the set is going for on places like ebay with kits in worse shape I think I got quite a deal.

As a fellow vintage set buyer (Classic Space themes for me), getting these large sets for under $200 these days is a pretty good deal. Sucks that the figs aren't included, as they will cost a fair bit to acquire as well. Vintage LEGO is very much a collector's game these days, and unfortunately, commands some hefty prices considering the piece counts, limited palette of the time, and more simplistic (and sometimes illegal) building techniques employed. But they have their charm, and I guess that's what keeps us engaged, along with the nostalgic factor.

On 8/10/2023 at 11:57 AM, Mog said:

Yamato’s 1/60 version did fairly well representing all three modes.  There’s the HMR (?) prototype that’s been shown here a few times.

Point being that if Bandai wanted to make a better looking battroid, then why did they make the choices they made?  It wouldn’t be too hard to slightly lengthen the hipguards and make them more in line with the lineart shape.

None of us are denying that compromises have to be made.  But what mode is being given preference?  

Battroid?  But why the short hipguards and the very thick chest?  Fighter mode?  But we see how they had to thicken up the back of the plane to fit the wider legs.  Gerwalk?  Then why have they never displayed it in that mode?

And it’s not hatred but frustration that they haven’t made any fixes over all these years.  It could be so much better, but Bandai feels they can just move forward without tweaking or fixing up the design.

I totally agree with your first sentence. As a fan who favors battroid, the skinny legs were off-putting, not to mention the floppy hip joints. If Arcadia tweaked the design to feature more proportional legs with a potentially slightly chunkier back end to the fighter mode, that would be a must-buy. I do not, however, under any circumstances, want a parts-former. Both Bandai and Arcadia have proven that they have the ingenuity and talent to make this work as a fully transformable toy. At the prices these toys command, I neither want nor expect less.

Regarding the shortened belly plates on the Bandai model, I actually prefer that over the long ones on the Yamato, which never stayed in place and always seemed to be in the way, obscuring the legs when trying to put them in a pose that would actually hold the damn thing upright. Honestly, I just straight-up hate the belly plates. I've always wondered, given the size and shape of the legs, why Kawamori didn't integrate them better or work in some sort of transformation to flatten them out more in fighter instead of turning the thing into a shell-former. It seems a bit lazy, especially for a guy who generally does an impressive job of integrating bot bits rather seamlessly into the flight modes. Not only did he cheat the leg size in his art, but he employed a rather cheap technique to cover them up. I'm hoping both Bandai and Arcadia find good work-arounds although at this point, I guess we pretty much know what we're getting from Bandai. It's too thick front to back and the arms are bit smallish and short, but it still looks pretty good to me, good enough for a purchase.

8 hours ago, danth said:

Apparently 2024 is going to be the year of Space. A Space CMF, another $100 spaceship (possibly Blacktron), two Space gift with purchase sets, two sets featuring aliens, and another wave of City Space.

I hope these "Space" sets really end up being true Space, either Classic Space or other vintage unlicensed sci-fi space throwbacks. Or even something new that continues where old Space left off.

I hope all of this is true. It's highly lamentable that the CMFs are going to be in boxes henceforth, as it'll make feeling out the ones you want impossible. Fortunately, I'm now privileged to have a new and second-hand LEGO store in town, so there's a chance they may get the figs out of box to sell without the hassle. Anyway, more CS throwbacks are always welcome, and I very much liked the direction they took with the 2019 City Space sets, especially 60228 and 60229, both of which were excellent. More of the same, or even going a step more sci-fi is alright by me.

Shameless plug; BrickCon is happening Sept 9-10 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. If you're in the area and you enjoy looking at lots of incredible custom LEGO creations by adults running the gamut from pop-culture, art, sci-fi, fantasy, battle, castle, Technic, battle bots, great ball contraptions, & more, I highly recommend bringing the kids and spending the afternoon with us. 

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

I think the complaint wasn't so much about Boeing making military hardware, because they've done Boeing planes before.  It was primarily because the V-22 doesn't have any civilian version, even though it's been proposed (and ignoring the fact that LEGO made a knock-off Osprey before as one of their minifig-scaled sets).

The structural concerns were real though, I watched someone build it up from the instructions that were leaked, and the gearing system designed to move all the parts was ripping teeth off of the gears.  There were just too many stresses on them in different ways, and the shifting mechanism was causing hard stops and reversals.

There were definitely ways to mitigate that, and I think they proposed a re-design, but they probably took the easy-out blaming the military situation.

Yeah, I believe that to be the case as well. It was an easy scapegoat to distract from the actual gearing deficiencies noted by several online reviewers who'd received early copies. I hold the LEGO Group in high esteem, but in this instance, I think they took the low road instead of just admitting there was an inherent issue with the set and redesigning it for wide release. I love the Osprey and was quite excited for the set's release; I was subsequently dismayed and disappointed when the cancellation and BS reason for doing so came about. After all, they gave us this gem. It may not be an exact replica, but the inspiration is pretty clear.

Alas, what's done is done. I'm envious of the few lucky folks who were given the sets by LEGO. It naught but an investment for them now.

I wonder if LEGO's 10302 Optimus Prime, which was directly based on the G1 toy but with some minor additional articulation, was the inspiration for Takara to do this? As both a LEGO and Transformers fan, I think that'd be a great full-circle story. 

Given that Takara is unfettered by our draconian toy gun laws, I hope they give G1 Megs the same treatment. I've never owned a G1 Megs, but the prospect of owning a fully articulated version of that toy is honestly more appealing to me than Missing Link Prime. I definitely hope they move into doing the carbots and the Seeker jets, as I'd love to have G1 Prowl fully articulated as well as at least one of the jets with the same transformation minus the parts-forming fists. My interest in the G1 toys waned during the G1 period due to their lack of articulation, but this line sparks a bit of interest for me if only b/c I used to daydream about what it'd be like if those toys had at least minimal articulation in the legs. Curious to see where it goes.

1 hour ago, 26662 said:

OMG.  Can’t you just be happy Bandai cares enough to put their blood, sweat, and tears into a 20-yr old franchise (or thereabouts)?  Sweet Jesus, save me from these ignorant, unappreciative hordes.  You honestly believe your shitting on these pre-release images will manifest something better at this point?  Talk about cutting off one’s nose to spite their face.  Look at its construction and design!  These guys worked their ass off to translate 2D images into a miraculous 3D valk.  Go ahead and sit this one out.  I’ll buy enough for the both us us.

I get your frustration with naysayers, but everyone's entitled to their opinion, whether or not we agree with them. Relax...it'll be ok. 😀 I'm on your side of the argument; I've been a fan of Bandai's design since it was first revealed back in 2019. I have a complaint or two, but nothing so dire as to turn me off to a purchase when and if it becomes available. I'm also open to Arcadia's revisiting the nigh-perfect Yamato YF-21, tweaking the legs to look more proportionally 'correct' relative to the rest of the valk and Kawamori's line art, which is The Canon, and always my go-to for reference. It's a tough  valk to do, especially since Kawamori employed a greater than usual share of animation magic in its design, much, I'm sure, to the frustration of toy companies. That Yamato's, and now Bandai's, designs are as good as they are is a testament to the talent and ingenuity of said companies and garage kit designers who've also done the design justice in previous years.

Anyway, fandoms are spoiled these days, even in a niche fandom like Macross where physical toys are a rarity. Plus, humans love to complain about everything. I take it in stride and judge for myself the merits of the offerings on-hand, as well as the merits of the complaints being levied, and try to arrive at a judicious decision. It has worked out pretty well so far. Cheers!

11 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Well, after a couple of new Studio Series figures, how about we wrap up with a big Repaint Roundup?

Staying with Studio Series, up first we have Gamer Edition Deluxe-class Cliffjumper (and yes, I know I usually put the new figure on the left, I screwed up on a few, but I think you guys are smart enough to figure it out).  Cliffjumper is the same figure as Bumblebee from the neck down, the only difference is that he has a new head.  Now, GE Bee was a middling sort of figure, and there was some debate about whether or not it was really an upgrade over the original Deluxe.  I suppose that's at least somewhat true for Cliffjumper, but I'll note that GE Cliffjumper has a more Transformers Prime style head, which is accurate to Fall of Cybertron game.  The old WFC Bee was repainted as Cliffjumper, but that toy had a more G1-style head, so at least this figure is an upgrade on accuracy.

Cliffjumper comes with the same sword and pair of guns with the same storage solutions as Bumblebee.

And with the head tucked away, the only difference in alt modes is the color (although I do like red...).  So, if you're all on in on the Gamer Edition and you liked Bee, you should be fine with Cliffjumper.  But on the whole he's kind of mediocre, which is how I'd sum up the whole Gamer Edition subline at this point.

Next up, we have a Target-exclusive two-pack of Ironhide and Prowl.  Prowl is based on the Earthrise release that came in an Amazon-exclusive two-pack with Ironhide during Earthirse.  Unlike that set, this set uses the Studio Series release of Ironhide instead of the Earthrise one.  Both figures come with the same accessories as before (a rifle and lightbar for Prowl, and two pistols for Ironhide), as well as some additional blast effects.

As I was saying, Ironhide is based on his Studio Series 86 Voyager-class release, but this time he's sporting a new head and chest.  The head has an open mouth, and the chest has a shattered window revealing some mechanical detail underneath.  The mechanical detail has a hole that turns out to be a 5mm port, allowing you to plug in the blast effect.  It also necessitated that the "glass" on the window be painted rather than translucent, so basically all the parts that were translucent on the original release are red plastic with blue paint.  And less red paint and more red plastic means that, for one, the reds are better color matched, and two, budget was freed up to paint the yellow stripe .  No Reprolabels this time!

Like Ironhide, Prowl has a remolded head and chest.  I'm a bit surprised (and pleased) to see that Prowl's new head is more than just an open mouth- I dig the wider cheeks on the "helmet", and his chest doesn't simply have battle damage, they remolded the bumper and painted it gray to be more cartoon-accurate.  Speaking of being more cartoon accurate, they replaced the "Highway Patrol Police" on his door wings with a blue Autobot star, added some gray lines and a red triangle on his pelvis, and gave him gray thighs and a gray midsection to make him more cartoon accurate.  There's also the painted instead of translucent windows, mind you.  While I do love the toy details (especially with Reprolables) on the earlier release, I really like the cartoon accuracy of this new release.  If only it weren't battle damaged I'd probably use this as my main Prowl.  Maybe Prowl will get a more widespread solo release... he does have a Studio Series number (86-20).  Prowl's battle damage uses one of those tiny pegs instead of a 5mm port, but the idea is the same, so you can attach a blast effect.  Too bad he doesn't have the orange smoke for his mouth. 

Anyway, Ironhide and Prowl are both great figures, but you're better off with the original releases as these guys are definitely dead.  I really only recommend this set if it's you missed out on Prowl earlier, or if you want more dead Autobots to display with Alternate Universe Optimus Prime.

Another Target Exclusive is Tow-Line, based on the character from Robots In Disguise 2001.  Tow-Line is a repaint of Junkion Scraphook, with the same accessories and quibbles I had with that figure, just a new head and color scheme.  The new head is bang on!  The problem is that the rest of the figure is not.  RID Tow-Line has a truck cab for a belly.  I mean, if there's one detail you're going to notice about him, that'd be it.

Things do not improve in alt mode, as Tow-Line retains the Mad Max-esque hot-rodded pickup with a tow hook alt mode from Scraphook, which aside from colors bears no real resemblance to RID Tow-Line's tractor cab and car-crusher trailer.  With Hasbro's reluctance to actually revisit the RID 2001 universe this might be the only Tow-Line we get for awhile, but it's still pretty disappointing.  I'd say pass on it.

We're not done yet!  We have another exclusive, and this one is the Pulse-exclusive from SDCC, War Dawn.  War Dawn is named after the G1 episode "War Dawn," where the the Aerialbots are accidentally sent back in time.  This episode is best remembered as the one where we meet Orion Pax, see him get badly wounded, and rebuilt by Alpha Trion as Optimus Prime, and in the inspiration for last year's "A Hero is Born" set.  But fans of the episode might remember that Orion Pax wasn't the only character the Aerialbots met.  There was also Dion, Pax's friend, and Aerial, his girlfriend (who herself would be rebuilt as Elita-1).

Like Pax, Dion is a remold of Studio Series 86 Kup, and also like Pax he's got a new head, chest, forearms, shins, and some of his backpack.  His robot mode comes across OK... I guess Floro Dery's Kup translates pretty well to the other likely Dery-designed generic Cybertronians that were never meant to have toys.  The remolded chest is accurate, the head is a solid depiction of the animation, and the colors are mostly accurate.  I mean, there are some scenes where his forearms are white/light gray, and his midriff definitely should be.  He's missing the wheels shown in his shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, though, and it would have been better if the new backpack parts angled outward.

Speaking of his backpack parts, they're actually attached to his slightly-remolded backpack via 5mm ports.  And while Dion comes with the rifle and pack of Energon goodies that Kup and Pax did, his backpack parts can come off and also have 5mm pegs so he can hold them, and little nubs that can be used to attach blast effects.

Unfortunately, unlike Pax Dion actually had his alt mode animated, and Kup-ish it isn't.  Still, for a one-off flashback character that was never meant to have a toy, a decently accurate robot with not-very-accurate alt mode is the best we're likely to get.  Certainly a step up from his a original toy, a 2005 e-HOBBY repaint of G1 Wheelie.

Ariel, or "Erial" for copyright reasons, is a retool of Legacy Arcee/Road Rocket/Flamewar.  In bot mode, the only noticeable difference from most angles is the new head, new hands, and the colors, but part of her backpack is also remolded.

To be fair, Ariel's animation model was a pretty generic fembot shape, and this mold more or less had that already.  She's just sporting some bigger arm pads and wheel kibble, plus a backpack she didn't have in the animation.  But she does have a new head with an animation-accurate ponytail.

She still has the wheel accessory that the other versions of this mold do, but unlike those other versions the rest of the bike's front end is pinned and not removable, and she ditchest the crappy translucent shuriken/arm blades for a brand new pistol accessory.  The pistol is molded after one Elita-1 used in a different episode.

I mentioned that the front of the bike doesn't come off on Erial.  This is due to those parts being remolded, and while they're not really noticeable they make a big difference in alt mode, giving her a speedier-looking sci-fi sort of bike mode.  And pink, just in time for the Barbie movie.

Kup and Arcee's molds aren't bad, but nor are they my favorites.  If you have the A Hero is Born pack this set complements it nicely and you should consider picking it up.  But I'd say that if you don't have Pax and Alpha Trion you probably don't need Dion and Erial.

One last repaint... for now.  This is Transformers X Volvo VNR Optimus Prime.  This is the exact same figure as the Holiday Optimus Prime released before Christmas last year, just in more standard Prime colors, which is what I feel most people actually wanted.  As I said at the time, it's a very good mold, but I do have some notes.  For one, I'm glad they painted the yellow on Prime's hips, but why didn't they get the rectangle on his crotch?  Two, maybe it's just they way the parts are arranged on the sprues, but Prime's biceps and forearms are gray, with red paint on the forearms.  I'd have preferred they also made his biceps red, and I really wish when they were painting his forearms that they didn't miss the flaps that open on the back for folding his hands in.

Like Holiday Optimus, VNR Optimus has a Matrix unique to the mold, but is otherwise paired with the accessories of Earthrise Optimus Prime- the too-thick rifle, the trailer with detachable shield, and the detachable drone inside.  For whatever reason, the trailer's door is black on this release.  I'll probably either buy the Nonnef upgrade kit I used on my Earthrise trailer, or, at the very lease, swap the black door with the gray one I replaced on the Earthrise trailer.

As a Volvo-licensed and now full-on Volvo crossover toy, VNR Optimus isn't just a pretty good Optimus figure with an original, fun transformation.  He turns into a licensed Volvo VNR 300 truck.  It's a little longish, compared to the real truck, but it's got lots of details you'd see on the real vehicle like the extra mirrors on the nose, the singular smokestack, etc.  More than that, it really goes out of its way to be the truck, so stuff like the back of the cab and the hitch aren't neglected.  There's a real back on the cab, not a gap between tucked in arms, and a hitch with eight rear tires and a realistically angled fifth wheel.  This was all true for the Holiday Prime, of course, but again this time we have a red cab with some blue, G1-style.  And the trailer ditches the candy stripes for a more classic G1 look, and pulls it off better than Earthrise did (where the white part of the stripe wasn't in the budget, I guess).

Being a holiday-themed figure probably limited the appeal and market for this mold the first time around, but this is a fantastic mold.  Now that it's in traditional Prime colors and you can display it as an alternate or upgraded G1 Prime I'd strongly recommend checking this figure out.

Second that recommendation. Mine came on Monday, and I remain impressed by both the engineering and the unparalleled realism in truck mode. While a cabover truck mode is my preference for Prime, I like the shorter nose of this truck over the longer nosed trucks from the Bay films. The transformation is mildly complex and clever. Truth be told, I didn't even notice the missing paint apps that Mike pointed out (I see them, now), but my negative observations are that the lower legs look too skinny (the blue section is the same width as the thighs, and just looks off to me) and it would have been cool had the top half of the cabin collapsed into the lower half so he doesn't look like he has massive cankles from the rear. Overall, though, a solid figure.

The more I see of this guy, the more I start getting the itch. Very hopeful to see some of the other carbots, specifically Prowl, whose toy suffered irreparable damage when I attempted surgery to give him articulated hips when I was a kid. Prowl was my first Transformer toy, and to have that toy back again with the articulation I imagined and wanted to give him would be wonderful. This pic of Missing Link Prime striking the OG toy's box art pose is pretty cool. I'm glad TT are doing these on their own; I think they'd fall short under Hasbro and their extremely restrictive budget constraints.

13 hours ago, tekering said:

I've had KFC's "Rhinohorn" for years, and it looks nothing like yours...

Looks like they must've gone back to the drawing board. 😶

Yep, it's a recent update. He also updated his Steeljaw, which I also have on order. I passed on his first iterations, as they just didn't look that great and allegedly had numerous quality issues. In hand, I'm pretty impressed with his new version of Ramhorn- joints are all pretty well toleranced, the transformation is unique and fairly complex for such a small fig, and I love how the rhino mode looks, prominent rivets notwithstanding. Looking forward to getting Ironpaw 2.0 in hand. I hope he updates his dino cassette designs, too. I have yet to own a single dino cassette and if he can update them as well as he did these two, I'm sold.

This guy showed up on Thursday, and being a cassette fan, I thought I'd do a little review. Being aware of KFC's spotty reputation for quality, I hesitated, but I thought his rhino mode was the best I've seen thus far and bit. I'll state my bias for this figure right up front; I think it's the best iteration of Ramhorn thus far, and I also think it features one of the most intricate yet elegant transformations of any cassette at this scale. I love it.  Is it perfect? No, but it's still pretty darned cool. 

Rhinocerous.

Other than a pointy posterior, he captures the look pretty well. I love the painted hooves. While he may be a little idealized, and perhaps a tad chibi due to his size, I quite like the overall proportions, which are very similar to the G1 toy. For whatever reason, my G1 Ramhorn has silver, rather than gold weapon accessories. Unlike the G1 toy, Rhinohorn's weapons are integrated into the transformation, and he benefits from some cool engineering giving him a rhino mold that's twice the width of his cassette mode, which looks much better than the wafer-thin G1 toy's rhino. Unlike the G1 toy, KFC did not imbue this guy with any cassette livery, which would have been nice, but I'm sure Toyhax will have us covered eventually.

Articulation is virtually identical to the G1 toy- pinned joints at the shoulders/hips, forelegs, and feet. The tail can pivot up and down for transformation, and Rhinohorn's head can pivot ever so slightly up and down. His mouth is molded and doesn't open. His neck can pivot up and down, but that breaks the mold rather significantly. I wish KFC had picked out more of the tummy mechanical detail that the G1 toy sports; I love details of that nature and wish more of it carried over to other interpretations.

Here are G1 Ramhorn, Fanstoys' Ramhorn, and KFC's Rhinohorn in cassette mode. Neither FT nor KFC applied any mini-cassette style livery a-la the G1 toys, although FT did at least paint the reels. In addition to similar leg and tail articulation as both the G1 and KFC's Ramhorns, FT's take's head is on what feels like a very limited ball joint allowing for about a degree of side-to side either way and a couple degrees up and down. Too, his mouth can open to a barely visible slit, at least on mine. At so slight a movement, I wonder that they didn't just mold it slightly open like KFC did.

L-R: FT Ramhorn, KFC Rhinohorn

Due to extreme differences in transformation mechanics, FT's pulls off the cassette aesthetic on both sides pretty well; not so much KFC's . However, often times only one side of the G1 and later MP cassettes had the livery painted on, or presented well as such, so the messy backside is easily forgivable. FT utilized a more G1-ish transformation, with the shoulders and hips on double hinges and sliders, respectively, to widen the rhino mode, with the head and tail flipping out like the G1 toy. KFC's iteration requires far more origami to go from one mode to the other. It's quite clever and I prefer the final result. The negative effect of so many joints, however, is the plethora of unpainted round-headed rivets that detract from the overall aesthetics. It doesn't bother me as much as others, but FT's painted rivets clearly show the benefit. Notably, due to the more straightforward G1-inspired transformation of FT's Ramhorn, the rhino form is larger than KFC's whose clever design uses more of the cassette mode's real-estate to close up the upper body of the rhino mode, which looks much better but results in a slightly smaller rhino mode. I prefer the KFC approach, personally. Again, I think Keith has crafted the best-looking rhino mode of any iteration of Ramhorn thus far. MMC may beat them if they ever get around to producing one of their full-scale cassette figs, but until then, Rhinohorn wins the prize IMHO. That said, he could stand some paint on those rivets and some decals to make hm more cassette-like.

Edit: As to materials, KFC's is entirely plastic. the dark foreleg bits may be die-cast, but I can't tell. FT's Ramhorn's body core is die-cast, and the forelegs feel like metal, too. It's quite hefty for a such a small toy.

As to fit, FT's Ramhorn is a few mm wider than KFC's which in turn is about a mm or so wider than a G1 cassette (I had Buzzsaw at hand before I remembered to grab my G1 Ramhorn).

Both FT's and KFC's fail the G1 Soundwave fit test, although if I exerted a little undue force, I could probably get Soundwave's chest to close with Rhinohorn aboard. However, I'd rather not inflict damage to either to prove a point, so I took the photos at the closest point to closing as I could manage. FT's doesn't even fit in the tray; it's too wide on the thin side to fit within the little guides molded into the tray. KFC's fits in the tray, but it's just a little too high to allow it to close without force. Apologies for all the dust on my Soundwave; I took him out of storage and didn't bother cleaning him up before shooting. I'm a little bummed that neither work with the G1 toy; I haven't tried MP Soundwave yet, but given that MP uses the original RW micro-cassette scale, the tray is likely about the same dimensions and results will be similar.

So that wraps up my review and comparison. I've resisted getting KFC products until now, as Keith's Ramhorn really appealed to me from the production pics. In-hand, my opinion is only strengthened. The joints are all pretty well toleranced on my copy, although the turning part of one of his side weapons could probably stand to be loosened a quarter turn of the screw. But, for my first KFC product, and a cassette no less. of which I'm rather fond, I'm exceedingly pleased with Rhinohorn and recommend him if you, too, are in the market for a G1/MP-scaled Ramhorn. Cheers!

1 hour ago, Tking22 said:

That Concorde looks legit! I'm in for one!

Yeah, me too. That looks pretty darn cool.

5 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I get your point, and I agree, to the extent that I prefer robots with obvious alt mode parts, and transformations that don't use faux parts.  But hey, Magic Square figured out how to make a transforming Optimus Prime that does use the same grill for truck and robot mode, yet somehow made probably the most cartoon-accurate Optimus available.  Some of the wonkiness in the G1 toys was that they were designed as human-piloted mecha, not alien robot lifeforms, but as alien robot lifeforms I expect them to have functional, articulate, proportional bodies.  I guess what I'm saying is that the G1 Optimus toy is very iconic as a toy, but not necessarily the character.

That said, I'm kind of interested in this Missing Link Optimus, simply because the G1 toy was so iconic and I think it'd be interesting to see it with modern accessories and articulation.  I'm just not sure I'm in for an entire line of "G1 but with articulation" Missing Link toys.

You stated it more clearly than I did, but that's how I feel, too. As to the line in question, I feel like the Legacy Insecticons are already fulfilling the premise, as they're probably the closest interpretations of the G1 toys thus far, although Bombshell isn't quite as faithful as the other two. I'd be down for all the cassettes to be made with better articulation, and possibly Prowl, although I think the ER version is nigh perfect. I, too, get the nostalgic appeal; it just doesn't grip me as much as it does others, but I'm certainly not opposed to a "Missing Link' line. Chances are high, I'd get the bug, too, and start picking more of them up b/c G1. You can take the kid outta the 80s, but ya can't take the 80s outta the kid. 😁

1 hour ago, MKT said:

I just wonder how acceptable will it be to fans if Bandai diverges too much from canon transformation. The belly plates, lower leg and now possibly the hands are going to be different from what has been worked out in the line-art.
I am personally ok with these changes so long as the everything is generally in the same position, considering the amount of anime magic involved for this VF. 

Likewise. 

10 hours ago, kajnrig said:

Honestly, the only thing that keeps getting to me is that DAAANG OOOL' SEEEAAAM LIIINE running the entire length of the lower leg. Like a dancer in a dangerously high cut dress. 😳

I just see it as the standard way of building toys- opposing molds that come together. Hopefully the final versions will be more refined; I mean, look at what they can accomplish with their Gundam models- nigh seamless, the molds are so precise. One would hope a high-end toy would be at least as well done, but then again, this is Macross, not Gundam. Different standards apply.

On 7/30/2023 at 10:53 PM, JB0 said:

The original toy, only with modern articulation? Hot.

 

Though I note the original toy actually has pretty good arm articulation.

The original did in fact have above average articulation; however, IMHO, the OG toy looks a little wonky compared to the likes of ER Prime. I'm not sure I'd want to plunk down the cash for it now- 20 years ago, without a second thought. But my tastes have changed since growing old..er, and I prefer the finer things, or more accurately, the more refined things within the hobby. That is, is you consider the latest Hasbro/Takara-Tomy offerings to be a step up from G1, which I most emphatically, in most instances, do. For those who've pined for this as I once did, however, I hope it happens.

13 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

Preordered the Stunticon Menasor Multipack and Bombshell at Hasbro Pulse.  Passed on Detritus.  I want Hound to be released instead.

Thanks for posting; I had no idea new stuff was going up today. Got everything I wanted, so thanks again!

On 7/30/2023 at 5:49 PM, twich said:

Watching this video, I am very impressed by this DX YF-21. The tampo does not bother me, the belly plates do not have glaring gaps, I remember first getting the Yamato 1/72 YF-21 Fast Pack toy when it first came out and couldn’t help thinking it looked like a rear end jacked up muscle car……look how far better this is?

there will always be things that not everyone will like, but I sure am glad that I will be getting the opportunity to own a 1/60ish scale YF-21, when Bandai releases this beast!

Twich

Likewise. I think the tampo is a bit overdone, and it is a bit thick on top, but as long as the joints are tight (hopefully well-tempered ratchets throughout) and it can hold poses as well as its own weight, I'm sold.

22 hours ago, jenius said:

There's something very curious happening with the lower leg. I wonder if it pivots instead of sliding out to extend. 

13 hours ago, Shawn said:

I think I agree with that...sort of like the vf-1 battroids arms and the rotating hands come out, but reversed for the feet
that looks like a hinge at the top

11 hours ago, MKT said:

The whole rotating lower leg is an Interesting solution to how Bandai solve fitting the very lanky legs into the belly of Fighter.

By making them disappear completely into the calves, there’s more space for longer hips.

It also looks like the hips are also on a rotating joint to make them positioned higher in Battroid like its YF-19 counterpart.

Astute observations, all.  It's an interesting solution to shortening the legs in fighter, and FWIW I think you guys are right. I hope there are plenty more clever engineering surprises and solutions in this thing. That's always a major part of the joy of transforming toys- discovering ingenious new ways and methods of accomplishing the conversion or elements thereof.

22 hours ago, MKT said:

If Arcadia ever gives us the YF-21 with updated engineering, I actually don't mind if they keep the Yamato proportions intact, but give us another pair of chunky legs to swap in. Removable legs are already there with the delimiter mode. 

Yeahh its major parts-forming, but I see it as similar to how Bandai gives another pair shorter, line-art accurate wings for their HMR VF-1 & VF-0.

Nah, I think they could modify the Yamato design to accommodate thicker legs without resorting to parts-forming. Unless they came up with some leg-slimming solution, it would undoubtedly result in a thicker exhaust section, but that's a concession I'd happily accept for a battroid mode with proportional legs. The belly plates would likely need modding to account for the additional width, as well, but IMHO, it'd be worth it. Too, I would hope they'd swap out those floppy hip joints for some ratchets. The last one is probably an ask too many.

4 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

That rotating feet/ankle solution, I wonder how it will hold, if it's ratcheted, or if there's a locking system? I don't want it displayed in Battroid to become loose on that joint and droops and fall down on its face. Yikes.

Man, I hope it has strong ratchets that can easily bear the weight regardless of pose. If they are indeed releasing it, I really want it to be well-executed.