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M'Kyuun

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Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    Well, the rumor among the various LEGO blogs is that at least some of the movie is set in space, so that bodes well for all of us Classic Space geeks- I'm hoping we get more than just one obligatory set this time around. On a tangent, I own a copy of Brickjournal magazine where they interviewed Mark Stafford, former AFOL turned Lead Designer at LEGO, concerning his involvement in designing the Space Police III sets. In that interview, he mentions building a variety of different designs, including some very Classic Spacey designs to present to their test kids to get their impressions. He said they really weren't that interested in the ships so much as the alien minifigs. Personally, I thought Space Police III was brilliant, one of the absolute best space themes they've done since the 80's and 90's. In so many ways, it was the updated 80's CS theme that many of us LEGO Space Geeks had been waiting for-it ended much too soon, IMHO. I hope The LEGO Movie 2 gives us more of that goodness.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I recognized Skybite, but I couldn't remember his name, and I figured the figure in the foreground was a repaint or a custom job. I really have no familiarity with Skybite's character (IIRC, he came out in the 90's as part of the extended Beast Wars, or Beast machines line, as I remember buying one back in the day). Never heard of Brave of Gold Goldran. Google knows all. So I'm guessing the character was brought over to the BW Universe from Goldran, as both shows came out in '95. Anything to sell more toys. I just wanna say robutt again. You need a copyright on that JBO.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I don't mind robutts ( the crap we talk about on this forum) mooning through the windshield, or arms, heads, etc as long as the glass is tinted or painted. If the glass is clear, then, yea, it looks much better if the bot parts aren't visible. Of course, like most things, I'll make exceptions. I thought the Alternators/Binaltech were quite brilliant for preserving most of the interior cabin- the bot modes often suffered for it, though. The Mazda RX-8, the Mustang, and the Suburu WRX molds were all really well done though- my three faves from that line. Gotta agree with you on the door wings- always really liked that look, and so long as they're not obtrusive, other vehicle parts clearly visible in bot mode. I think that was a huge part of the appeal of Transformers when they first came out- that you could make out what they turned into even in bot mode, but most of the bot stuff was pretty well hidden in alt mode. The other part of that was that the alts were real world vehicles, which upped the toys' appeal even more. Probably why to this day I have a bias against most Cybertronian alts- I've seen too many that looked like a folded up robot, or the alt didn't look like anything relatable. That shark dude is rocking some super-robot colors.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Which makes for a sad future in this country when people imbued with these negative values take leadership roles. Current president doesn't exactly make for a good role model, either. But, you've got a point- the cruder or more mocking the shows, the greater the viewership, it seems. Like giving your ice cream to a fat bully.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Kinda figured I'd be in the minority for preferring Coolsville over Downbeat. I like the toy touches, like the silver part under his chest with the mechanical details and vents, and the markings on his knees which homage stickers on the G1 figure. The shin-ankles, I can live with. This is why options are great. I also keep the vast majority of my TFs, and valks for that matter, in bot mode. They take up less room on the shelf, and generally that's the mode I prefer anyway, so win-win. Although, in the case of Dinos, and yea, sometimes Insecticons, and my BW figs, the beastie modes make an appearance from time to time.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Concur with everything you said, especially his shield emitter stowing into his camper in truck mode- it seems a given to me, so why TT didn't do that is anybody's guess. As you said, questionable engineering decisions. I don't think I ever noticed the light-piping, TBH. I never noticed how many ports he has all over his body, either, especially when he didn't come with a handheld weapon (unless you count the unwieldy shieldguns, which I tab onto his forearm Megatron style) Anyway, I found the mold to be interesting and visually appealing, and the transformation scheme is complex enough to make him interesting without frustration, and he indeed cleans up well in both modes. In short, a fun TF toy that does just about everything right. As an IDW representation, I think TT did a good job capturing the new look as well, and I find it suitably fitting for the character. I was impressed enough by the figure to get his mold brother, Hoist, as well. Generally I skip repaints, unless they add something significant. Too, at the time, TF's were still around $10 for deluxes, so buying repaints didn't make as much of a dent. I've been really happy with the majority of the CHUG line, my top favorites being Mirage, Hound (of whom one or the other used to accompany me on my deployments before I retired) RTS Jazz, Wheeljack/Tracks (another fairly complex figure that yields a clean bot and vehicle mode, and IMHO, works for both characters), deluxe Warpath, Classics Bumblebee, and of late, many of the TR heavily G1 inspired figures. I'll throw in Arcee, too; despite her shellformery nature, TT dun good in capturing her likeness overall. She's not an easy figure to make, as evidenced by the recent less-than-stellar 3P attempts, so I give leeway to TT for making her as good as she is at the deluxe scale. Plus, we waited over 30 years for an official version, and it could have been much worse (see Toy World's Leia-) Yep- my local Wally has a few of the Studio Series deluxes, a few pegs of RID figures, a couple pegs with legends class PotP figures and any number of the PotP Powermasters. No PotP deluxes, voyagers, or leaders to speak of for at least a couple weeks. I was actually pretty pleased towards the end of last year, beginning of this, as the TF shelves were being stocked regularly, and it was starting to become easier to find these things again. Now the old trend of little to no stock is happening again. I hope it's a temporary issue. Waiting patiently for the rest of PotP Terrorcons to start showing up. Also waiting for Studio Series Brawl.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Sorry Kuma, not even your skills with the camera can make this look better than Toy World's Coolsville's car mode, which cleans up better than Downbeat, and even from underneath, betrays little of its transforming nature. As far as Downbeat goes, usually, it's the visible bot mode fender parts showing that I remember; I'd forgotten how chunky the rear end of their car mode is. Not much ground clearance anywhere on this guy. It's really a shame they couldn't clean it up more, as they really crafted a beautiful Jazz in bot mode. That face sculpt is amazing. Alas, the toy homages of Coolsville/Jazzy have won me over, and I think he also has a better car mode with less bot stuff showing. Moreover, his paint job with racing livery just looks sharp. I wish he had a better face, that he had blue paint on his hip skirts, and that the flap behind his head could fold away, but for everything the figure does right, IMHO, these are concessions I'm willing to live with if I commit. As always, Kuma, thanks for the lovely pics.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I have Bike Robo, and at this point, I'm more into the smaller figures, but I agree with everything both positive and negative. The detachable handlebars I can live with, but the one element that irks me to no end is the head mold and how it barely allows the head to rotate. This was a completely preventable bit of under-engineering- pretty lazy, most likely to cut costs by eliminating the need for one or two additional parts. They fixed this on the DX, as they should for its size and price, but c,mon, the same fix could have been applied here, too. Oh well, it is what it is, and I still think it's a neat little figure. And yeah, the axe, like a number of weapon choices in the line, is odd, and the storage thereof in vehicle mode is crappy. I also dislike the obvious Bowie knives mounted to the sides of Concrete- just terrible. Imay change my stance once I get a look at DX Eagle- I love the small version, but if they improve on him even more, I'll be tempted.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Pass on this iteration. I don't understand the trend of crudeness, both in the content and artistic style, in much of American animation. Cartoon Network loves this sort of thing, so shows like Squidbillies enjoys longevity, while a well produced, voiced, written, and drawn show like 2011 Thundercats gets the axe after only about a season and a half. They blamed it on poor toy sales, but what toys were selling for Squidbillies? Would definitely love to see a continuation of the 2011 Thundercats; they were starting to hit their stride, and then got cancelled. I've also heard it was due to LEGO's Chima cartoon, which neither my wife nor I could get into (we both love Ninjago).
  10. M'Kyuun
    So, I'm seriously thinking about getting Maketoys Meteor, or their Skywarp (b/c I his color scheme), but beyond the hollow wings, the one other feature I find bothersome about the toy is the lack of shin vents. In an otherwise nigh perfect representation of the character, those always seemed iconic to the Seekers. I get that flat shins is toon accurate, but this is an instance where toon be damned- I want my shin vents. I vehemently wish Maketoys had made a removable set that just snap on, for those of us who prefer that look. So, I'm curious if anyone knows if there are any aftermarket shin vents for this figure (I'm thinking along the lines of Shapeway). Regardless, this figure is so on point with what I want in a MP Seeker- kinda curious why they didn't make a couple extra panels to fill in the bottoms of the wings- it's really the only thing that makes it feel unfinished, well, that and the all important shin vents. In all other respects, just a great toy from what I've seen in vids and stills, not to mention a number of reviewers' comments. Edit: I answered my own question after some further searching. For anyone else interested in shin vents for Meteor and the upcoming not-Skywarp and not-Thundercracker releases, jream on the TFW boards makes painted resin versions that look good and match the toy's aesthetic. He's also planning to make them for the upcoming releases. He charges about $9 for a set- little steep for a couple of small parts, though, and there's no built in attachment method- you glue or blue tack them on at your own risk. http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/pd-23-maketoys-meteor-shin-thruster-vents.1136473/
  11. M'Kyuun
    Had my eye on this guy for awhile. I wish they'd figured out a way to make the arms fold into a single pod like the real plane (and incorporate landing gear into those arms). I really liked the Jizai version, but I've passed on all the third party takes on it. This takes some cues, esp the way the engines fold up so brilliantly. If he eventually goes on sale somewhere, I'll probably score a copy, as most reviews I've seen, while not glowing, are still mostly positive, and I'll agree that his bot mode is spot-on. And like Mike, I've always subscribed to the idea that these are robots in disguise, and sometimes the disguise need take the hit for a better bot mode. Thanks for the review, Mike.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Pulls off a decent GERWALK- shame those knees don't offer more reverse-joint ability, as you could really get some dynamic poses with this little guy. Pretty neat as he is, though. Apparently, Phoenix can pull it off, too. Not as refined as Cygnus, esp with those large gaps where his arms go in starship mode. Just the same, I absolutely love how FT integrated the arms into his alt- it's one of my top favorite among a litany of favorite things I love about this figure. Note that his legs are rotated 180 to orient his knees accordingly. I've not tried this, but I have to wonder how tough it was to balance him without a stand- likely required more patience than I possess.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Seems the concensus regarding Rouge all echo Mike's sentiments; not the polished , nigh-perfect not-Arcee many of us were hoping for, that I was really hoping for. The bit about using it as a torture device particularly struck a chord (kinda reminds me of my feelings towards X-Transbots' Eligos- I love the bot and alt modes , but I vehemently dislike transforming him due to all the tolerances). So, like others have mentioned, I'm going to wait for MMC's offering. Hopefully the MMC folks are carefully watching all these Rouge reviews and taking notes while developing theirs. BC's Sideswipe does impress- quite a step up from the official, although, I'll give TT a little slide room since it was their first MP car, and at the time, it set the standard. Can't really blame TT for inevitable improvements. Putting MP Sunstreaker next to Sideswipe is a nice gauge for seeing how far the engineering and philosophy behind these toys has come, at the official level. TT still got game, IMHO. As for BC, I think they make nice stuff, despite not owning any of their figures (was tempted by their Warpath), and I'm aware of their reputation for complex, or over-complex, transformations. Still, there's enough of an advancement here that it'd be nice to have a Sideswipe that matches MP Sunstreaker more closely in proportion and articulation. It'd be great if TT clued us in as to what MP cars they intended to make, or remake, but they don't, and right now BC's version is looking promising. So I wonder how many other 3Ps are going to announce new improved Sidewipes. That seems to be the third party way. In the case of Rouge and Toy World's even worse take, options are nice.
  14. M'Kyuun
    To be fair to the designers, it's far easier to capture the shape of the Y-Wing than the slopes on the Slave I. For what they have to work with in terms of parts, plus all the constraints they labor under (cost effectiveness, safety, etc,) I think they did a pretty good job. I have it sitting on my desk, and I still find it an overall impressive model. I do wish, however, that they'd engineered the cockpit to rotate with the wings like they do on System sets- that's a neat feature that works well. Unfortunately, you have to position the cockpit manually on the UCS set. Small price for an otherwise nice model. I also have the new Hoth Snowspeeder UCS, and that's a set I waited a long time for, and that met or exceeded expectations. It's one of my all-time favorite ships from SW, and I feel they knocked it out of the park- far better than their first attempt back in 2003.
  15. M'Kyuun
    "Peace through tyranny." Despite the upper torso being off (lots of sandwiched origami rather than just his gun slide as a single chunk), Takara did so much good with this figure that I can forgive it. Looking poised for planetary overthrow, Kuma. Nice.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Bad Cube's Sideswipe looks pretty good- definitely a nice upgrade to the original. I like the chest shrinking mechanism; looks like they did it mechanically rather than using a second chest cheat-engineering is cool. Still, there's something about it, even with all the vast improvements over the original, that just doesn't look or feel right, but I can't put my finger on it. As for all the MP recolors ('Plus' seems like a hopeful nicety), I'm pretty much skipping them. Prowl Plus doesn't look as good as the original release to me, and he's pretty much my Holy Grail Transformer toy among Transformers. The Megatron with toy accurate colors irks me a little, as I wish that'd been the first release (hopefully the head can swap with a more toon accurate one- I like a nice amalgam between toy and toon, capturing the best points of each). However, at MP Megs' pricepoint, I'll stick with the toon accurate one I have now. As for the Diaclone repaints, Blue Bluestreak was too good to pass up, and I love him- a gorgeous figure, who just happens to be standing guard on my printer watching me type this. I must confess some slight interest in the police redeco of Sunstreaker- that's an exceptional figure, and I like emergency vehicle livery, so he's a little tempting. Alas, too much other stuff coming that I want more, so, restraint.
  17. M'Kyuun
    At this point, in my mind, they're synonymous with these legends sized figures. If they produce something that's not, I'm not aware of it. Moreover, when other companies produce a legends scale figure, Iron Factory's my first thought, even if they didn't make it. They absolutely have carved a niche for themselves, and just looking at galleries and vids for these figures, I definitely appreciate everything that goes into them from engineering, to paint, to articulation, and quality of alt modes. Great toys. Little pricey for their size, and I'm pretty much tapped financially by other hobbies and just life stuff, so I enjoy them vicariously. That said, keep on posting them, Kuma. Cheers!
  18. M'Kyuun
    Quite a collection- love their take on Windblade. I'd like their Arcee more if she turned into her G1 car, or a close facsimile thereof. But on the whole, considering the vast majority of these guys are legends scale, they're cool little figures. 'Tots adorbs' I believe is the current vernacular.
  19. M'Kyuun
    The PE Reflector guys are adorable (very reminiscent of what Iron Factory are doing presently), but Maketoys rocked the G1 homage. Expensive set, though- even more than their Meteor F-15 figures.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Pretty sweet little Skyfire. Thanks, Kuma. Part of me wants this as a nice Mini-me for Phoenix.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Cheers to Tekering for the Toy Dojo link, as well as the heads up, Technoblue for your much appreciated (and totally legit ) review, and to Mike, whose reviews are always welcome, and who has certainly earned a reputable status, especially on this forum. Humble thanks to all of you. Having read Technoblue's review above, and following that up with Toy Dojo's, I'm feeling a sad sense of disappointment with Rouge. I think the final modes are both well done, but that transformation seems over-complex. Moreover, stuff like those wheels being a PITA to get and keep in position for car mode, as well as other such niggles, just don't really give me good feelings about Rouge. I have my fill of fiddly and PITA transformation with X-Transbot's Eligos, even though , like Rouge, the bot and alt modes are great. Just as well, I think there's gotta be a simpler way to realize Arcee's modes with a less fiddly transformation, but without resorting to the shellformation of the Generations figure. That said, I'll keep my options open for now, esp if MMC are doing a version. I like their takes on Mirage and Trailbreaker, so I look forward to see what they come up with. Again, thanks aplenty to you guys for making this forum such a user-friendly place, for your insights, for sharing info, and just for being good people. Cheers! Edit: I was aware of talk about MMC doing a G1 Arcee figure, but I hadn't actually seen pics until this morning (they've been out there since February, so I'm way behind the curve). Anyway, my initial impression is that it's decent, although the way her back packs attach doesn't look right (looks like lower back instead of shoulder, or shoulder blades), and her lower legs have an odd stacked appearance due to their folding on themselves for transformation. Still, overall, I think it's a nice looking figure in both modes (unlike ToyWorld's, she has a fully realized car mode like FT's). So between FT's, which I find the more striking aesthetically between the two, and MMC's, I think I'll wait to see what folks have to say about it in hand. Pictures, even ones that really present a figure in a strong light, can be deceptive, as most of you know.
  22. M'Kyuun
    As a cassette fan, I think KFC did an excellent job design-wise on Hi-fi. It fits perfectly next to MP Rumble, which was also a really well done cassette figure. That's about the highest praise I can give it. Alas, KFC does have a bit of a poor reputation, and from your description, there are some joint issues with Hi-fi, which is really disappointing. I would have been sold on looks alone. As for Transistor, I've never really been much of a Blaster fan, but I have to say KFC did well here. It looks good, and the addition of a very MP looking Autobot cassette is proverbial icing. Saw this over on TFW2005 and thought it too cool not to share http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/05/04/maketoys-cross-dimension-mtcd-05-buster-skywing-jetfire-skyfire-prototype-images-363379 As much as I like my Phoenix for all his huge boxy G1 self, Maketoy's design is inspired, both figuratively and literally. If you're going to pick a more realistic, yet fictional, alt for a Skyfire redesign, you could do much worse than a Quinjet. Given the new alt, I think they did a nice job capturing the main points of Skyfire's bot mode while still creating a custom look. It's one of the more interesting TF related things that's grabbed my attention recently, so thought I'd post it. I've been anticipating early reviews for Fanstoys Rouge (Arcee), as it looks amazing to me ( I'm guessing it's mostly a shell-former, and her chest is a cheat, as the front of the car actually becomes her back. I can live with both if the quality is there). Disappointing that no-one seems to have scored an early review copy. I'm holding off on a PO until a few reputable reviewers chime in in the positive.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I like that phrase arroz de festa- language, and its ties to culture, is always interesting. I think the English equivalent would be 'ubiquitous', which sounds heady, but not nearly so colorful as 'party rice'. As for the new film, as much as I like Dwayne Johnson, making Roadblock the leader just seems off to me, having grown up watching the show. Duke and Flint were always at the fore, along with Lady J and Scarlett, with guys like Roadblock serving as the muscle and the humor. We need a new Duke.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Man, I'd forgotten about this guy- had to do a search. Totally agree on the car mode- still cool 30+ years later (it'd make a neat future Batmobile). I never was a big fan of the driver cabin-cum-head designs of the DX Machine Robo figures. I guess it works if you consider them piloted mecha, but as sentient robots, I just don't care for it. Wasn't sure about the articulation on him; it's actually pretty decent for an 80's figure, with a bit of fore and aft at the hips, 180 deg of knee, 360 at the shoulder but no elbow from what I saw in the vid. That car mode is great though. I'd love to see a reinterpretation that gives him a proper head.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Funny, I don't mind it when biceps use a ball joint for double duty as you've described, esp on a smaller figure, something legends size. However, as the figures approach or exceed a deluxe scale, then, yeah, I think other joints are generally more appropriate, esp if they're toleranced correctly. What I don't get is why ratcheted ball joints aren't employed- simply dimple the ball like a golf ball and add a small nub or two in the socket to impart a little more strength to the joint. There would still be erosion of the surfaces over time, but the dimpling would prolong the life of the joint beyond just friction alone. In theory, anyway. I've been impressed by numerous toys (any number of the Bayverse figures, and others besides) employing ball joints that have a sort of built-in détente for alignment for transformation, so the tech has certainly evolved to the stage where options are available to edify the efficacy of ball joints for longer life and functionality. I think frugality, indifference, or both come into play on the part of the manufacturers, which is a shame. They hold so much potential so far as range of motion that it'd be cool to see the tech, and thus their usefulness and endurance, expand. I'm part and partial to ball joints, both because they were the first steps towards greatly improved articulation in transforming toys back in the 90's, they allow for a greater range of motion than most other joints, and they're simple to employ. As a LEGO builder, they're pretty handy, although LEGO's ball joints are pretty weak and could use the dimpling I mentioned. On larger toys, though, their tendency to wear out quickly under load makes them a poor choice, as we've seen with Arcadia's valks (those damnable ankles!) But in small areas, they're hard to beat for their versatility. Now ratchets are phenomenal- just a glorious piece of compact technology with a plethora of applications. Imparting both strength and the requisite number of detentes for the given application is really the key, and why so many toys tend to fall short in the articulation department. But when they're done right, it's magical. You may not have guessed due to my subtle manner, but I'm a huge fan of ratchets.
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