M'Kyuun
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Everything posted by M'Kyuun
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Well, depending on how LEGO purist you guys are, Mega-Bloks sets these days offer some nice alternative parts, as they tend to craft special parts specific to some sets, including some contoured parts. Moreover, they make plates with studs on both sides (so, so useful- extremely high on my LEGO want list), as well as a lot of other specialized bricks with different stud alignments, shapes, slopes, etc that LEGO hasn't made. I haven't brought myself to use MB parts in a LEGO MOC yet, but I've been tempted. For anyone on the fence whether to buy a Mega-Bloks set, I'd highly recommend their Call of Duty Harrier set or the CoD AH-64 Apache set. I have both, and I love them. The overall quality is good, much improved since Mattel bought Mega-Brands. Parts-wise, the Harrier set is a treasure trove of specialized parts with studs going in different directions. It makes me wish there was a Bricklink for Mega-Bloks, or that Bricklink would start selling MB parts.
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Chronocidal- that's a lovely start on the VF-19, immediately recognizable. As for your comment concerning LDD's limitations when dealing with a lot of moving parts/transformation systems, I'm so very, very aware. I really wish they'd redesign the hinge and hinge alignment tools. The first is frustrating, the latter nigh useless in my experience. Mazinger- Glad to hear you supported Voltron, although it's probably moot at this point, as it's currently being reviewed by the Ideas Team. I doubt additional votes have impact at this stage, but you never know. As for the creator of the Ideas Voltron, he is a Philippine national named Leandro Tayag, currently residing in Malaysia.
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I hope nobody misuses their Megs in the commission of a crime, as it would definitely draw unwanted attention and gun laws would only become more stringent concerning replicas and toys. I suppose the one positive aspect of all those panels is that he doesn't look like a real gun up close, but from distance, it would be much harder to tell. This reminds me , when I was in high school, the drama club were using G1 Megatron as a prop gun in a play. I was giving someone a ride, but somehow Megs ended up in my greedy hands and I got to transform him quickly. That was my first and last experience handling G1 Megs. I'm totally down with an easily removable plug if it satisfies Customs, as well as the necessity of retailers opening the package to install them. It sucks, but it is what it is. I want my G1 inspired Megatron figures, and I consider a removable plug to be the best option and still remain mostly within the law. -
QFT. The joint you describe here, and a sister joint to mate with 47455, are high on my want list. They would be easy for LEGO to make, and enormously useful. Anyway, I wish you every success with your VF-19. I've seen pics of your earlier attempts to build a VF-1, and that was an impressive model. Despite LEGO's inherent limitations, I hope you're able to move forward with your project. Best wishes!
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Mazinger, Big F, here's the link to LEGO's customer service https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/?domainredir=service.lego.com Hopefully you can get some resolution for your accounts. As for Ideas, I did support the Voltron project and vehemently hope it gets realized as a set. Moreover, I hope it opens the door to more anime licenses (they've already done Speed Racer, short lived as it was). Whether or not you liked the movie (I did-guilty pleasure), the sets were rather well done overall. I'd say they were a seed for the current Speed Champions line. It also hearkens back to the Exo-Force sets, which sought to capture the anime look and feel, although many of those mecha sets felt very anemic. With all the new parts, I'd love to see them do E-F 2 at some point. Based on reports from Toy Fair, the Ninjago Movie sets slated to release later this year feature a number of cool mecha and sci-fi ships. Looking forward to them.
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You're doing it right- it's just shitty engineering. Let me add a caveat; make sure the little hook at the bottom of the backplate is extended and engaged into the lip behind the cockpit (where the right hand stows in fighter mode). If that is engaged, then the little flap at the top of the backplate should lock. It's still a weak locking mechanism, and I wish they'd found a better, more solid, solution.
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It's not a difficult transformation once you get a basic idea of what ends up where in each mode. However, it is frustrating due to really close clearances between moving parts, plus the double hinge to which the wing roots are attached needs to be maneuvered within a limited space. The instructions are so-so for certain areas. It'd be a really nice courtesy if Bandai printed them in both kanji and English so that non-Japanese speakers/readers had that extra guidance. However, as with most things, repetition breeds familiarity and comfort, so I advise taking it down off the shelf and carefully transform the thing. You'll never get complete fulfillment from it unless you handle it and transform it periodically, esp since all three modes look great. I simply can't fathom buying a transformable toy and never transforming it- it's like buying a high performance car and garaging it for life. Sinful! I guess if you're someone uncomfortable handling these things, as they can be fragile and finicky, the fear of breaking something may be an excellent dissuader. They're not cheap. The instructions can confuse more than help, in some cases. But, despite this rationale, I still have to try. I've broken some things along the way, but I don't let let that prevent me from enjoying the unique experience that these toys offer (all transforming toys, for that matter). The puzzle element is what's attractive to me and keeps me shelling my hard-earned for them. Anyway, I just want to encourage folks to at least try transforming their valks, otherwise you're missing out on a large part of the experience.
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The hinges for the feet are disappointing; despite all that room for the feet to be able to flex forward for some really dynamic poses, they stop at 90 degrees from their nozzle position in fighter. Moreover, those ankle flaps barely move to make clearance, and then there's the odd articulated hands that barely hold the gun- these are just a couple of minor issues that keep a good toy from being a great one. IMHO. It also makes me wonder if there was a rush to get this thing into production, and refinements like these were passed over to meet deadlines. I transformed mine several times through, and it doesn't feel as refined as, say, the VF-19 Advance. It's not as much fun to transform, either. (Those accursed double hinges for the wing roots are a killjoy for me). Of course, YMMV. Once transformed, however, it looks amazing. Just handle with care in battroid, as that shield will untab and the gun fall out of his hand if you sneeze from across the room.
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I wonder if Hasbro's going to release a version with Frank Welker doing the lines, at an even more extravagant price point? If so, probably TRU exclusive, as usual. It would have been nice of Takara to release this guy with two sound cards; one for English and one for Japanese. I think I'd rather have that than most of his accessories. -
The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/03/23/mp-36-masterpiece-megatron-hand-images-modes-336129 New pics of MP Megatron over at TFW2005. The flatness of his upper torso (where it should be curved) and origami pistol mode really make me wish they'd stuck to the G1 transformation for the torso and arms to preserve all the shapes inherent to his pistol mode, as well as eliminating all those panel lines where he breaks apart. Liking Apollyon a little more for that reason. Too many cheats on Megs 2.0 Still getting him, though. -
I don't mind the shoulder pads; in fact, I like everything they did with the arms, save for the terrible articulated hands; having a number of Bandai valks sitting in front of me, all with decent articulated hands, I really have to wonder why they moved away from a working design to these nearly useless articulated hands. Makes no sense to me. Even more mind-boggling when you consider the size of the gunpod. While I'm griping, I'll also mention the limited forward movement of the feet, as well as those barely moveable ankle flaps. After transforming my copy, I find that the moving panel under the plane's nose(battroid head) remains loose, like it doesn't really tab into anything. It's not dangling, but it is loose and noticeably gappy. Having transformed mine through a full cycle and back to fighter, the sense I get is that the 262 was a little rushed, and a number of design issues which should have been addressed were given a pass. It's a pretty valk- all that tampo is just amazing, and the paint on mine looks good (no peeling or scratching from the protective films). The joints on mine are nice and tight. Fit however- I feel there could have been a few more tabs to keep things anchored and minimize gaps. Also, there should have been more clearance for the upper legs to maneuver without making contact with other surfaces in GERWALK. Finally, the hook and tab system on the backplate in battroid is flimsy and disengages very easily. Did I mention it's pretty? Gotta say, the battroid mode with that sweet Anubis head and overall body shapes and proportions is so striking, despite a few issues, I have no regrets.
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The biggest issue I have is the really close quarters between the intakes and the tops of the thighs- little room to maneuver the legs without either chipping paint or outright damaging something, esp that little panel that hangs down from the intake. I have a few other complaints, but that's a design issue that should have been redesigned before going to production. Bandai have been in the game long enough to know there should be clearance between moving parts.
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Funny- mine came via DHL, but I had to sign for it. I think they change the rules from state to state.
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I'd be talking to my carrier about that drop-off to make sure it was indeed delivered (not still at the PO, or on the truck, or mis-delivered to the wrong address), and to get a description of the person intercepting your package. Really sorry to hear about that, Mommar, and hope it gets resolved in your favor soon. As far as Fed Ex and your book, hopefully that's just a customs deal, and it reaches you within the next few days. Been in your shoes- I mailed a package worth over $200 with USPS several years ago containing LEGO sets(my B-day present from my sister who I was visiting), a few rare Star Wars figures, a few Transformers, and other miscellaneous stuff. It never reached me; it got as far as Federal Way, WA (across the state from Spokane), and the USPS folks sent the shipping label all the way back to PA, even though Spokane was its final destination. By the time I got the paperwork from my sis, my claim had been closed, so I didn't even get the insurance for it. I hope for a much more positive outcome for you, sir. Decided to monkey with 262 today; transformed him from B to G, which wasn't too bad today, not as frustrating as yesterday. Going to Fighter had me digging out the instructions to check a few things. I got it all together, but it could certainly due for a few more tabs, IMHO. Really wish they'd put at least one tab on the feet; the fold-out purple tab in the legs do ok, but they just don't bring the feet together solidly, at least on mine, so I'm left with a gap that simply won't close no matter what I try. My one leg doesn't like to stay tabbed either. Fortunately the big wing panels hold everything in place, but looking top down, there's a little gap where I can see straight through b/c that leg doesn't want to stay tabbed. IMHO, this thing could have used another round or two of QC checks.
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Saburo- I had the same problem with the poseable hand barely holding the gunpod- the design of those hands is odd, and certainly inadequate to the task of holding his weapon. I think they just made those as fillers for transformation, intending for the larger, better looking extra hands to be used. I usually opt for the poseable hands, but I got tired of the gun falling out, and used a couple of the extras. They're scaled better, anyway. I found the transformation to be a bit tricky, what with all the minute positioning of those wing root hinges and such. This looks to be a fairly straightforward transformation, but I ended up pulling out the instructions to make sure I didn't force anything. I took mine from fighter to G to B modes. Going to G was a pain, but I think with a little more time spent, it'll become easier. I was a little disappointed at how flimsily this locks, or doesn't, really. The lower hook/upper tab on the backplate are just barely holding stuff in place, at least on mine. A little bit of handling or picking him up by the wrong spot loosens it all up and I have to realign and retab. I'd have expected a better tabbing /locking system, esp for the asking price and pedigree of this high end toy. On the positive side, it looks amazing once its in any of its modes. Another beautiful valk from Kawamori-sensei. Not the most solid of Macross toys, however. Sandman- I opted to go with DHL, as it was slightly cheaper than EMS. It may cost a bit more than SAL, but I had my valk in hand two days after I got my shipping notice. Pretty impressive.
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Spanner, those are some beautiful shots. Kawamori hasn't lost his touch; this is becoming one of my favorite designs. I generally don't care for GERWALK, but this valk looks fantastic in all three modes- ya just can't lose no matter how you display him. I was complaining about not getting a shipping notice yesterday; well it came later in the day after I'd posted, and my Sv-262 is due on my doorstep tomorrow. DHL, you rock! They even called me this morning to let me know. That's far quicker than I'd anticipated, and good service to boot. I take back all my negativity from my last post- this is the fastest shipping I've experienced in quite some time. I'm a pretty happy dude. Just hope my bubble's not burst tomorrow upon opening a defective toy. Staying positive- everything's gonna be good to go.
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
While I get the appeal accessories may have, esp those specific to a memorable scene, I rarely have any use for them. For me, it's all about the core figure- that's what I'm paying for ultimately, and that's where I want the focus to be by the manufacturer ( Has/Tak and 3P). Case in point, I actually thought the different Cheetor heads with their varying expressions were a brilliant addition- I have yet to pull them out and try them on my figure. I've just never been much into accessories ( FAST Packs in the Macross universe, however, are an exception- there's just something cool about playing dress-up with a bot that can become a fighter) Agree on the price for Megs 2.0- a little extravagant. I hope he turns out to a good figure, and not a floppy mess- those pics , esp gun, make me think Origamitron. Really wish they'd stuck with the G1 transformation- I've always been a fan of that, and it very much informs the look of the robot mode. This Megs has a number of cheats to give him his iconic look due to his unconventional transformation. I don't mind innovation, but I wish they'd stuck a little closer to the original, as that would make him truly MP in my opinion. YMMV. -
I paid last Friday morning (Pacific Standard), and I still haven't got a shipping notice. Just checked my status at AmiAmi; it still shows processing shipping (paid) via DHL. Pretty slow service there- it should have shipped by now. I was figuring on its being here by this Friday, but since they're dragging their feet shipping it out, might be a longer wait.
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The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next
M'Kyuun replied to mikeszekely's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
For a teaser vid, it didn't really work for me; I'd rather see more of Megs and less of his accessories. As for the color, I'm not bothered by it; I have Apollyon, who makes up for a number of things this figure lacks (silver color, better proportions, transformation faithful to G1 toy) and I'm thinking the same will be true for this figure in regards to Apollyon (starting with those shoulder ratchets). Neither is a perfect Megatron toy, but both have their good points from what's been shown thus far. I'm looking forward to his release. -
Saw it yesterday; well done translation from the animation to live action. I found all the songs, new inclusions as well as old, to be relevant to the story. One thing this movie has in spades is talent, and the actors all seemed to relish in their roles. I haven't seen Kevin Kline in anything for some time, so it was nice to see him on the big screen again. Emma Watson did a fine job as Belle, and I agree with a previous observation that she has a pleasant singing voice. Honestly, I prefer the singing in this film over the original, excepting Angela Lansbury's "Beauty and the Beast", although Emma Thompson did a fine job singing it as well. Overall, good film.
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Ghost in the Shell Live Action - March 31, 2017
M'Kyuun replied to Mechinyun's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Agree- the use of 'Major' as a name rather than her rank is a bit odd. I've not read the manga, but in the '95 movie, SAC, and I believe in Arise, Major is her rank. I hope they keep at least the Motoko part of her name, although if she's Motoko Major, that'll be really weird. -
The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
I've seen that bit on Scoria before, and yeah, that's nice- homages the toy very well. Alas, I passed on Scoria for the upcoming Perfect Fusion Cesium, FT's Scoria Mk II, which is much more faithful to the G1 toy, except for the smoky plastic cowl. The gold chromed head still looks nice, though, and I'll likely give it a wipe now and then to keep it shiny and free of prints. I wish they'd used the smoked plastic on these guys everywhere, but maybe it's too expensive, or they felt it just didn't show the details underneath well, or it just didn't look good to them. I dunno, but smokiness notwithstanding, I still think they captured the essence of the G1 Dinobots better than any other company making Dinos, perhaps even better than what Takara, in their heavy toonacious approach, would do at this point. TFSource shipped Sever, and he's due on my doorstep on Thursday. The Stegosaurus is one of my favorite dinos, and I'm anxious to have him in hand. Also looking forward to finally getting TR Kickback, Gnaw, and Bee, none of which I've seen in any of the stores in my area (Spokane, WA). Kickback was high on my Hasbro want list to finish off the Insecticons, so I was stoked when he was shown at last year's Toy Fair. After seeing reviews, he's not exactly like I'd hoped he'd be (was hoping the lower legs would fold over the robot thighs for a more G1 look), but at that size, I still think he's a decent figure. Now Has-Tak need to remake the Dinobots for Generations- they're long overdue proper updated toys, and it's a shame that we fans must turn to third parties to get those updated figures. TR has been a great line for G1 updates, and the Dinos seem a no-brainer to me, esp if they eschew all other gimmicks and just give us five nice voyager sized updated G1 Dinobots. Leader size would be even better, but I'd be happy with voyager. Kinda digressed there... Just to make sure I wasn't missing out on any other 3P Dino stuff, I surfed the interwebs a bit last night looking at the other offerings. For my personal tastes, FT's Dinos are definitely the ones for me. That said, I think the Shuraking combiners look really well done considering that they, well, have to combine. Another figure that grabbed me was FansProject's take on Swoop (Volar) in their Lost Exo Realm line. That bot mode is so lovely and dynamic- ptero mode, so-so, but I like the license they took to incorporate the bot arms and legs better into his alt. Swoop was, IMHO, the weakest of the Dinobots, and even Fan's Toys' version is, by default, also the weakest of their Dibots due to their faithfulness to the original toon/toys. It is what it is, but I'll still eventually get him to complete the set. -
The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
To answer your question, I want my Dinos to echo the G1 toys, so flat gray all the way. It may not appeal to everyone, but I wish FT had put more of the smoked plastic cowlings on these guys. I always loved that on the original toys, where some of the inner workings can be seen. The chromed look works, though, although they're going to be a bear to keep fingerprints to a minimum (I hate fingerprints on any of my toys- I'm very OCD about washing my hands, to the point where I've gotten blood on my stuff from my hands cracking and splitting). Like I said, OCD. Thanks for the heads up about Cesium's release. Honestly, I'm not in any real hurry, and I hope any delays are to refine the toy prior to finalizing the thing for mass assembly. I try to be optimistic about delays. At the end of the day, there's nothing I can do about it, and I've managed to live 45 years without it, so I think I can wait a little longer and hope for a better product to come of it. I'm hoping Sever will show up this week (along with TR Kickback, Bee, and Gnaw from my Stack). He'll be my first Fans Toys figure as well as my first 3P Dino, and I look forward to seeing what all the fanfare is about. The big plus though is having a new G1esque Dinobot since MP Grimlock to mess with. Kinda exciting. -
The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
And there's nothing wrong with that- I'm down with the Dino love. I'd probably ride the fence on official versions, esp if they were scaled to the previous Grimlock release, since I'm now nearly $600 invested in FT's versions. I suppose if Takara started from scratch and made all five to scale better with MP-10, I'd give it serious consideration. I like official stuff. <Shrug> For now, though, there's no indication that Takara is moving in that direction, and FT have, by all appearances, made very acceptable stand-ins. I foresee no regrets when these guys arrive- ebullient girlish squealing may in fact be heard emanating from my house on those days when they show up. I'll post a sign out front: "Man-child on premises- new toy arrived- just keep walking." -
The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread
M'Kyuun replied to slaginpit's topic in Anime or Science Fiction
Good to know about Scoria. Just PO'd Stomp, BTW- seems too well done a figure to pass up. Thanks for the feedback, guys. Much appreciated. Been on the fence for awhile now, and I don't want to miss the window of opportunity. Edit: Just looked up the differences between Scoria and Cesium- def closer to home for the G1 toy with Cesium, although I think I prefer the chunkier legs of Scoria. It doesn't hurt that Cesium is about $60 less than Scoria, either, and that, being a new figure, will benefit from all FT's experience since making the other dinos. I appreciate the heads up, Mike. More decisions. Edit#2 Well, Not only did I get Stomp, but I also Po'd Cesium (after doing a back and forth comparison with G1 Slag-amazing how close they got to the look of the original with this version-thanks again, Mike!), and also got Sever. So, that's about $300 more than I was planning on spending on TFs this month, but after looking at pics of these things and reading reviews, I'm literally sold on them. Think I'll wait a month or two, and prob round out the team with Grinder and Soar. Of all the dinos, I wish they'd taken more creative liberties with Soar to streamline him - the original toy was the weakest of the Dinobot designs, and I wouldn't have minded some better integration of the arms and legs. Alas, it is what it is, and by midsummer, I'll finally have my Devastator (Constructor) and all the G1 Dinobots in MP scale. Shaping up to be a good, albeit expensive, year for this long time TF fan.