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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Nice mod- much more accurate to the real thing. I imagine the designers may have gone with something like this, but I think once they got to a certain point, they were shooting for the 1969 parts count, and this would have put them over. This is also, to date, the largest Ideas set, but it sets a nice precedent. While your design mirrors the real fins, aesthetically, I kinda like the stock fins in the set. Herein lies the beauty of LEGO-always mod-able. Eight more days til I get to open my copy. Looking forward to it.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Well, the good news is that the domestic opening weekend box office is the lowest of any of the Bay-former films, so it sounds like they're losing their appeal here in the States. The Asian market is still going strong, though, esp China. However, the bad news continues, as there's to be a live action Bumblebee movie (a girl and her car this time around, supposedly set in the 80's) set in the Bay-verse. It's still just more of the same, IMHO, no matter who they get to direct, write, what have you. As long as they keep the Bay-verse alive, I think the live action movies will be plagued with the same issues as the main line films, b/c they're going to try and keep the same feel, humor, and look as Bay's movies. Aside from Keith, the appeal of these films appears to finally be losing momentum (I didn't like the first one, and have found the rest to be unwatchable as well). I've only ever paid to see one Bay-former film, DOTM, in the theatre, and I'll never repeat that mistake again. It's just so incredibly far from what I want in a live action Transformers movie, and just far from what I want in a generally mediocre movie. These films are so poor that mediocrity would be an enormous upgrade. My $.02, of course. YMMV. I'd love to see a whole new team and a new vision for the live-action films, with roots in G1, and a feel closer to Transformers Prime. With Orci and Kurtzman writing Prime, and a Bay-former derivative look, I initially balked at it and watched it with no little bias. But, it was a damned good show, and quickly won me over. They did a great job of developing the characters, both bot and human, even if Miko was a bit annoying. But it made me stop blaming Orci and Kurtzman, in part, for how bad the live action films were, as they demonstrated their passion for Transformers as well as their ability to write a compelling story in Prime. In short, my feeling is that had a different director been using their live action scripts, we'd have gotten much different movies, i.e. ones that made sense, had character development, better plots, more attention to the bots as characters rather than props, and maybe a far more appealing aesthetic. We'll never know. But, if the upcoming Bumblebee film does poorly, perhaps Hasbro and partners will consider a new direction for the live action films. If that happens, hopefully they'll choose a director who's a legitimate TF fan.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Pretty neat. I didn't PM him; is he just selling the shoulder pauldron and helmet, or the entire minifig? If he's doing the entire fig, I might have to get a little Hikaru for my VF-4. Hadn't seen that Ninjago Movie set until just now- wow! Indeed, that'll look splendid next to the Airjitzu Temple, but I'm going to have to clear some space for both of them to sit side by side. LEGO's killing my bank account these days...but so much goodness.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I kinda like PE's little OP for Ginrai. I'm not crazy about the stacks out front, but overall he looks like a fun little figure. Too many other things eating my budget now, but if this little guy goes on sale, I may have to get him. I'm still waiting for a restock of FT's Stomp and the release of their new mold for Slag (Cesium). If they release at the same time, that's a nearly $400 divot in ye olde bank account. But, if they're anything like the other three Iron Dibots, so worth it.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Well, collecting often necessitates prioritizing, esp on a budget. I stopped collecting Star Wars figures years ago- LEGO, Transformers (official and third party), and Macross are my buying mainstays. The Saturn V was a no-brainer for me, a lifelong LEGO space fan, and just a casual fan of spacey stuff in general. Regarding Nexo-Knights, I started watching it when it first came out, but it didn't really grab me. I'm not a die-hard Python fan, but I've seen Holy Grail a few times, so had I continued watching it, I imagine I'd have picked up on the references. It's cool, too, that they reference the yellow castle- I like it when LEGO puts self-referential stuff in their movies, shows, and games- they've got a good tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. My wife and I are firmly hooked on Ninjago, though. It's a deeper show than standard fare- still full of action, powers, dragons, and technologies to keep kids' attention, but deeper relationship stuff, character development, and writing that is oft marked by a more mature tone. I'm glad they brought it back, as the sets and the show have continued to impress, and I'm looking forward to Lord and Miller's take in the Ninjago Movie. Lastly, going back a few posts concerning the Ultimate Batmobile, I was mistaken when I said the Batwing doesn't lock in- it does, although I haven't looked to see what is actually locking it. I believe it's something under the wing catching onto the bat-tank portion when it's docked. Anyway, I picked it up and rolled it over- the Batwing stayed firmly in place. So, the whole thing locks solidly into one big vehicle, and yet separates very easily into its constituents. I built the large Batman Movie Batwing today, and that's a nice model as well. They did some nice engineering allowing the engines to swivel around the wing mounts for VTOL capability, and the wings themselves hinge downward 90 degrees. When backlit and held vertically, it looks like the Bat Symbol, albeit a bit stylized. Thus far, the LEGO Batman Movie sets I've bought have all been really fun, imaginative, and well designed. I'm looking forward to getting the rest, as well as the upcoming Ninjago Movie sets, which look to be very mech-centric. No such thing as too much mecha.
  6. M'Kyuun
    He was also my first introduction to Batman, before brooding and serious became the norm. He also voiced Batman on the old Superfriends cartoon, so in one way or another, he was the Batman we 70's and 80's kids grew up with. Good memories. Thanks, Mr. West, and farewell.
  7. M'Kyuun
    That's my thinking, too, if this actually gets the go-ahead. A series will allow for character development over a span of time. I think casting a crew of unknown but talented actors who actually look the parts (with maybe one or two veterans in there to give it credence), a modest budget with talented effects people, and a writing staff who understand both American and Japanese cultures and can borrow from both, could make it work. I think CB is one of the more doable animes in terms of look and effects, since most of the time they were on one world or another, and the anime borrowed heavily from noir American film and Westerns. Unlike GiTS, which does have a lot of Japanese look and feel, CB often feels like a Space Western. For so many years growing up, with only a few exclusions, Superhero shows and films sucked. The Hulk with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno probably rates the highest IMHO due to the ability of the writers and actors to make David Banner and the Hulk sympathetic characters who reached an audience on an emotional level. I still like watching it. Special effects have certainly helped sell the new movies, but finding the right writer(s) who really get the material is key. Consider Daredevil- Affleck sucked, Netflix show is great. The recent LEGO movies, which could have been abysmal super-cheesy films, benefited from a more irreverent approach than LEGO's previous animated works, and it was terribly successful instead of just terrible. So, in my mind, just b/c a genre of film has failed in the past doesn't mean it has to fail for all time. I think if the right writers and producers and actors come along, who take the material and interpret it in such a way as to remain faithful and yet make it relatable to multi-cultural audiences, just about anything can be successful. I had hopes for GiTS, and it's a shame it didn't perform well. GiTS is another anime that I think would have faired better as a tv series, to allow for more in depth exploration of the characters and the philosophies espoused throughout the manga and anime. Movies are too limited in time, and force the production team to trim a lot to meet time constraints, audience consideration (age, culture, general education), and rating constraints. Let's face it, America on the whole is not a country steeped in profound thinking and philosophy, and our entertainment, even most geeky entertainment, reflect that. So, I think Cowboy Bebop, with its American influences, has a better shot than most anime of success with the right folks on both sides of the camera. If it's greenlighted, I hope it does well, and paves the way for more successful anime series adaptations. I'm thinking Deathnote.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Watching vids like this just teases me, as I've got the Saturn V set sitting here unopened in my man-cave, but it's a b-day present so I have to wait until July to build it (honor code). It is cool, though, that Adam and co give sets like this some wider exposure than they'd normally receive. Still no word on the Voltron set. I hope it gets made, and that LEGO getsan expanded license to produce other versions of Voltron. Hopefully, it'll also give LEGO cause to expand their ratcheting joints palette.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Which might bite them in the ass.
  10. M'Kyuun
    American ignorance is beyond stereotypical, as we keep proving it. Alas, I'm glad they went the extra mile to have both younger actresses who played Diana, as well as her fellow Amazonians, speak with a similar accent. It may not be ancient Greek, but different enough to sound foreign, as it should. And, I must concur, that Gal Gadot is absolutely striking to behold. Before BvS, I'd never heard of her, but mad kudos to the casting people who gave her the role. Now I can't imagine anyone else filling it.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Dobber, oops, thanks for pointing out my gaff there. Ahem, not Nazis, but Germans, although the portrayal of said Germans was rather stereotypical of their later Third Reich brothers. As for the German ship coming through the barrier, it was listing to starboard and I just assumed it sank and never gave it another thought. As for never returning, I was thinking it may be out of fear that she'd inadvertently give away the location of the island, although in many of the WB toons over the years, she's returned many times to Themiscyra without consequence. So, shrug. IDK. And for the third question, I'm with Dynaman. According to the movie, she was created by Zeus as he was dying to be a weapon capable of killing a god, making her a god, or godlike. I was under the impression that all of the Amazons are demigods, fathered by Zeus, as they all have heightened abilities compared to man. Zeus was the original player.
  12. M'Kyuun
    There's soo much to keep track of now- LEGO have expanded, and continue to expand, their product lines and themes, adding the odd licensed theme here or there along the way. In a way, I kinda miss the old 2003 time frame a bit, as there were probably only a third of today's sets on shelves at any given time, which made it easier on the wallet. But, then again, I like having all these options, and now that LEGO has been steadily hiring AFOLs to be designers, we're seeing many more interesting and complex techniques being employed, especially in the sets geared towards older, more experienced builders. I'm learning the value of patience, as most of these sets eventually get marked down, some significantly, at Walmart, Amazon, and other retailers. I've got enough unopened sets to keep me busy for awhile, not to mention I need to get off my butt and build something to take to BrickCon this year. So much to do.... Concerning the Ultimate Batmobile, it breaks down into a smaller Batmobile, a tank, a motorcycle, and a small Batwing. All but the Batwing have physical locking mechanisms. The Batwing has an area on top of the tank where it sits very snugly. It won't move unless you physically pick it up or roll the whole thing over. It's really a brilliant bit of design, and all the detail put into the engines on the Batwing, the headlights on the Batmobile, all the rotating bits and pop-up rotary cannons on the tank, etc, make it a fun and striking model when complete. The minifig assortment is cool, too, although the inclusion of the Wizard of OZ Wicked Witch and two of her flying monkeys (each with its own facial expression) is an odd choice in a Batman set, but kinda goes with the precedent set by The LEGO Movie for inclusion of all LEGO's licensed lines. Referring back to the Making-of book, there are a plethora of minifig designs and concepts, some of which were used and others that weren't. I'd love to see some of them realized in future waves. One in particular is Egghead, who was played by the late great Vincent Price in the 1960's Batman. There's a fully realized minifig of the character in an egg-shaped mech, all completely brick-built in the book. There are pics of it floating around on the web. You can also check TheBrickfan.com, as they have scans of some of the pages in the book. Hope the info's useful. Cheers!
  13. M'Kyuun
    Saw it this morning- really good movie. I do wish, however, that the actors playing Nazis would speak German instead of badly accented English when they are among other Germans. It's a nitpick, but one that always bugs me in these movies. I had the same complaint about Captain America. On the bright side, Gal Gadot owns this role, and the movie all around does a great job of rounding out Diana's character and showing why she's every bit the hero as her male counterparts, maybe even moreso, as her goodness and idealism are so pure. Kudos to the filmmakers and actors who did right by the character.
  14. M'Kyuun
    An update to my Sunstreaker double-order dilemma at Anime Export: I requested a refund for one of them, and they kindly made it happen without any questions or hassles. As a first time buyer there, they've made an excellent first impression with their customer service. I just wanted to share a positive experience, as all too often all we hear are the negative ones. Anyway, they've made a repeat customer of me.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Yes it would. On the topic of LEGO, I built the Ultimate Batmobile, and what a cool set. It breaks down into four vehicles, all of which are cool on their own, and it even comes with Alfred in a mask and cap. Gotta build the Batwing set now. Good stuff. I've also been paging through the making-of book for the LEGO Batman Movie, and there are any number of concept drawings, cg models, and actual brick-built models, some of which may become sets, as they are pictured alongside other models that have already been released. I hope.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Glad I could help; you've been quite helpful to me over the last few days, so it's especially pleasing that my story led you to getting the set, too. BTW, I also saw that new Thrawn book by Zahn. I read his trilogy way back in the 90's, and found the character intriguing, a very different take on a villain. Recently, Thrawn has made an appearance in Rebels, and they've kept the character pretty true to the books, so I guess Zahn saw an opportunity to expand Thrawn's story. I'll likely check it out from the library when they get a copy. Anyway, glad you got your Saturn V!
  17. M'Kyuun
    Initially, I was going to skip Primal as well, but after looking at reviews, and considering that I already had Generations Rhinox and Rattrap, and with Cheetor being announced and looking good, I went ahead and got him. I can say honestly, no regrets. While he's not perfect, he's still a pretty neat figure, and his bot giveaways in gorilla mode (white thighs and his wonky feet) are pretty minimal. Admittedly, the original toy hid his bot parts a little better, IMHO, but in order to capture his screen likeness in bot mode, I don't mind the concessions. Concerning all these BW figs, one may as well accept that design concessions for one mode over another are going to happen, as so much CG magic was used in the animation. Short of using space age memory materials and nano-technologies, which I think would be neat to see employed in toys within my lifetime, right now they are beyond feasibility for Takara, and designers are going to have to make tough engineering decisions and prioritize one mode over another to create the most balanced figures they can. I accept it, and while I don't think they're on the same level as the main line TFs, they're still pretty neat in their own right and I like having them. Yeah, the pricing has taken an abrupt hike, and, personally, I'm not seeing justification for it. For the quantities of these things they sell, the car bots, depending on size, should range between $60-80. To suddenly charge nearly twice that smacks of pure greed with no other justification, especially, as you said, for a secondary character with minimal screen time outside of the first season. As always, shop around, and vote with (or without) your wallet. To that end, my thanks once again to Technoblue for pointing me to Anime Export.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Never been a fan of Westerns, but this show had a cool fusion of sci-fi and Old West that worked well. I've only seen a handful of eps, as it came on a channel we didn't get when I was a teen, and I had to try and rabbit ear the station on the little B&W tv in my room, so reception was hit and miss. But it definitely made an impression, and I loved the idea of the C-5 implant enhancing their innate capabilities. The animation was above par for the time, and Gooseman, a blatant Clint Eastwood caricature, was awesome. The main ongoing storyline of the team leader trying to find and rescue his wife was a novel sort of storytelling in animation back then (think of the running Alien plot in X-Files). Just a lot of goodness all around. And yeah, this show and Pole Position had two of the best opening theme songs. And Mighty Orbots, b/c catchy. All three of these shows stood out to me as a kid due to the excellent Japanese animation, mature storylines, running plots with stand-alone eps, good music and overall production values. The 80's was such an awesome time to be a kid- the toys are much better today, but we were spoiled by all the various animated shows full of imagination and cool concepts that really only exists in Japan now. American animation in general has declined greatly, which is sad. I cherish the memories of all those shows and how they colored my childhood. It is a monumental shame that Cartoon Network pulled the plug on the Thundercats show. I wasn't the biggest fan of the original, although I watched it, and have probably seen every ep. The new show was done so well; my wife and I both enjoyed it a lot, and were bummed when we learned it had been cancelled. What's worse, it was allegedly cancelled in favor of LEGO's Legends of Chima, which was terrible, IMHO, especially in light of Ninjago, which continues to be a well written and enjoyable show. I've hoped for years that the folks behind Thundercats would continue the story in graphic novel form, much as Avatar: The Last Airbender has continued. They had a whole season or two planned that never got animated, and that would have tied up various plotlines. A graphic novel or two would be welcome. As for Silverhawks, I honestly never cared for that show as a kid. Perhaps watching it through older eyes might give a different (better?) perspective. IDK. Anyway, I was unaware of the tie-in in Thundercats. It's cool when stuff like that is inserted, and thanks for pointing it out, Mazinger.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Kaneda's Bike, I'm in the same boat regarding Dinobot's bot mode. I never cared for it either, but aesthetics aside, he was certainly one of the best characters in a show full of character and personality. The voice talent and writing behind that show really elevated it from being just another cookie-cutter kid's cartoon. First season of G1, Beast Wars, Animated, and Prime all stand out to me as favorites within the animated side of the franchise for both storytelling and character development. The various aesthetics in each informed the toys, but it's the personalities within each show that draw me in and make me want to watch and be part of that experience.
  20. M'Kyuun
    For those interested in the MP Beast Wars figures, early CG renders have shown up for Dinobot, courtesy of Twitter user Chromless via Seibertron. https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/cg-renders-for-takara-tomy-transformers-masterpiece-dinobot/38359/ Compared to previous releases, it's much, much cleaner than I would have anticipated, although bot parts can be seen filling out his raptor body. He's probably one of the hardest characters to translate into plastic, as his toon incarnation benefited greatly from CG magic. Like Cheetor, it looks like the dino head chest is a facade, and the actual dino head folds into the bot mode. Considering how well they pulled off both modes, I'll accept a few concessions. It'll be interesting to see him in plastic with paint apps, if only to see how well the bot parts are camouflaged, or not. All things being equal, I look forward to adding Chopperface to my growing Maximal team. I'm starting to wonder if Takara are just going to finish the Maximals before moving on to the Predacons, and whether they're just going to do the original characters from first season. That'd be fine, although I'd love a well done Blackarachnia.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I agree. New stuff always sees a mad rush at the onset, and once the fervor fades, availability resumes to normalcy. That said, my wife and I took a trip to TRU this morning hoping they'd have it in stock, but they didn't. Non-plussed, I wanted to see if Barnes and Noble had the Making of the LEGO Batman Movie book, as it gives insight into all aspects of creating the movie, and I dig that sort of thing. What I didn't expect was to see the Saturn V sitting there on the floor in their LEGO section. It was the only copy they had, and it came home with us. So, I rest easy with it in-hand, my wife didn't have to brave getting it online, and , bonus, we actually got it for less than MSRP due to our B&N membership. As it's a b-day gift and that's not until next month, I get to look at it for a month before building it. Fortunately, I have other diversions: While at TRU, I picked up the new MClaren 720S Speed Champions set and a newly released City cargo set. I also wanted to let folks know that, at least for now, TRU online have the Saturn V at MSRP with free shipping. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=125641126
  22. M'Kyuun
    You are full of handy info for my benefit this morning, Technoblue. It's very much appreciated. I wrote them a polite message explaining what happened, and I hope everything gets resolved to mutual satisfaction (i.e., I only pay for one order). Concerning security, this was the first I encountered it on the part of Firefox. Had me a little apprehensive. I appreciate the vote of confidence for AE. For what it's worth, it's done now; hopefully, while I was fumbling through my order, the hackers were out on a smoke break or fetching some Cheetos from the cupboard.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Thanks, Technoblue. Got my PO in for $75, far better than $120. Firefox keeps flagging AE as an unsecure site, though. The site itself claims to be secure. I took a chance and paid my PO via Paypal, but even the 'return to merchant' message on Paypal flagged as unsecure. Not getting a warm fuzzy there. I made an initial payment via Paypal, which didn't reflect on thier site, so I reaccomplished with the same results. So, pragmatic chap that I am, I checked my email, and sure enough, two receipts for Sunstreaker. I've already contacted AE to let them know what happened, and if the monies have transferred (not reflecting in my bank account yet), I'm hoping they'll be agreeable to refund one of those transactions. Don't really need two Sunstreakers.
  24. M'Kyuun
    HLJ still doesn't have a PO for Sunstreaker; I'm guessing it'll go for around $90 USD, since their retail price is usually a little higher than RK. RK gets you on shipping, though. HLJ are usually my go-to for MP figs, and I believe they offer free shipping if your order meets a price threshold. I might have to check out AE. Are their shipping charges reasonable? As far as Lambor goes, I was under the impression he was going to be a straight reissue. If anything, they'll probably put something extra in the box, like his jet pack, and charge an additional $40-50, or it will be a straight reissue without any additional elements and they'll still charge an additional $40-50. Sorry, my cynicism is running off scale high at the moment. I'm still incredulous over the $120 that the Stateside stores are charging for Sunstreaker.
  25. M'Kyuun
    So I'm looking at the various stores with MP-39 Sunstreaker preorders, and man, these things are getting expensive. Usually car-bots go for approx $80, but all the Stateside stores are charging $120, which is what we were paying for a large figure just a few months ago. Robot Kingdom has him for a more reasonable $89, but buy the time you pay shipping, it'll likely be over $120. Not real happy if this is the new pricing trend.
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