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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I was sooo hoping that by now Macross would have become far more ubiquitous here in the US, but so far as I've seen, nope. Nothing on Netflix or Hulu, no toys, no models, no books- zip. What was the purpose of reaching an agreement with HG if they weren't going to capitalize on the market? We're still no further than we were pre-agreement, except, I'll concede, the valks are a little easier to get from domestic e-tailers. Beyond that, though, the great Macross invasion I was hoping for never materialized. I, too, was hoping for some better update news about Arcadia's YF-21. My hope is that they're going to address the proportion issue with the legs. While it may make the fighter a little thicker, that's a concession I'll happily take in lieu of a better proportioned Battroid. In every other way, Arcadia's YF-21 is a gorgeous toy. I'd still be interested to see what Bandai's doing with theirs though.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I posted the list and took off for a friend's house this morning so I didn't have a chance to research some of the names on the list I wasn't familiar with. I've done a little searching now, and seeing Strongarm, I'm guessing their dipping their toes into Post-Prime RiD as the next toon to G1-ify. I'd forgotten who Bludgeon was, although I own the RotF toy of him, which IMHO, is the toy to beat. Coming from that era where the toys were much more complex, I'm not sure a modern voyager will unseat it, but I could be wrong. I had no idea who Detritus was, but apparently, he was a repaint of G1 Hound which makes me wonder, incredulously, if he's going to be the first version of Siege Hound's retooled Earth mode we get. If so, grrrr. All in all, though, a pretty good year to fill out more of the G1 roster, especially first season/'86 Movie characters, which is my sweetest of sweet spots when it comes to Transformers. However, while I can appreciate what they're doing to homogenize all continuities into a CHUG aesthetic, I wish they'd just make updated toys of non-G1 toon characters with better articulation in their original aesthetics. Those aesthetics often are what set them apart from everything else and made them unique which was a big part of their appeal. That ship has obviously sailed, but I hold out hope that maybe someday they'll reconsider and return to some of these non-G1 toons giving us updated toys in their original looks like many of us desire.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Updated Breakdowns for 2023 Legacy Evolution/Studio Series Wave 3 & 4 - Transformers News - TFW2005 Down for Deluxes Beachcomber, Bombshell, SS86 Brawn (finally!), Voyager SS86 Ratchet, and leaders SS86 Snarl and Prime Dreadwing. And maybe core SS86 Frenzy.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Likewise. I may skip the mansion (probably won't though), but everything else- yes!
  5. M'Kyuun
    I bought a small steel mesh colander specifically for washing LEGO- the mesh is fine enough that no parts will sneak through. It works well; my only concern is parts hopping the rim when I'm rinsing them, but I try to be careful. But I agree- the colander method is the most efficient way I've found to wash parts, at least in small batches.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I don't collect G.I. Joe, but I think they're absolutely killing it (in a good way). Such incredible looking figs, and now with some of the vehicles coming back- just a great line. Heck, the 80s vehicle toys were so well done they could just do straight reissues, if the molds still exist, that is.
  7. M'Kyuun
    A big plastic container would do the trick in lieu of a tub, methinks. You're cling film idea has merit: I'd likely be the proprietor of more pieces had I adopted that approach in the past. As to the leaks, the ones that grab me are the Ninjago City Market and the Medieval Village. The Batman: The Animated Series wall hang has me intrigued not so much for the thing itself, but for the potential Animated Series sets that it portends. I really want a Batmobile from that show. The X-Mansion also looks interesting. if they end up doing a new Blackbird, I hope it looks more like this MOC than the old blue and black official set. I have the original Medieval Village, so a new one would make for a nice expansion. As to the Ninjago City Market, I think the Ninjago City series is one of the best LEGO has ever done. I have the City and the Garden (I passed on the Docks) and I will no doubt add this one to my growing cityscape.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Y'know, maybe I should transform my toys before I make commentary on them. 🤦‍♂️ 😄 So, you're right about where the wheels go on Legacy, and I flubbed it. IDK why I was thinking the shoulder wheels went on his back, but chock it up to negligence on my part. What's really sad is that he was right here on my desk the whole time and I didn't bother to check my assumptions, which of course made the proverbial 'ass" of me. Anyway, I agree with everything you said. Regarding the Animation depiction of Bulky's no-tired back, I chock that up to Derrick Wyatt's art style and simplification of the character models, as with Sunbow's G1 toon. The benefit of CG is that much more detail can be captured on the animation models, and Prime was a beautifully animated show. Not sure if the toys or the animation models came first, but it's nice when the two correlate. Thanks for setting me straight, Mike. So, I was at Wally this morning picking up some odds and ends and as is my wont, I ventured into the toys to peruse their wares. I was pleasantly surprised to see them stocked with a number of figs from Legacy, Velocitron (no Cosmos though- have never seen him once in the wild- huge thanks, Mike), and the Earthspark deluxes (Megs and Bee, anyway- didn't see Twitch, who I already have). Anyway, they had Crasher from the Velocitron series, and since I didn't pick up the ER version of Mirage, I decided to go ahead and get her. I like the mold better as anyone other than Mirage; I very much want a new mold that approximates how the G1 toy transformed. As to the toy itself, she's a simple repaint of Mirage, so her chest doesn't reflect the red vents and tapered cone leading up to her cockpit that make up her character's chest and torso, respectively. A retool would have been nice here, but what she lacks in accurate molding she more than makes up with paint apps. She looks nice if you can overlook the inaccuracies. I can in this instance. Heck she's not even the right kind of car; Porche Robo, the base toy for Gobots' Crasher, was a Porche 956, not a Formula One styled car. Alas, questionable choices. As a toy, though, she's fun, as toys should be, and I'm glad to see some Gobots representation under the Transformers brand. Accuracy, of course, is optional.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Lenny and Emily have such great on-screen chemistry- they complement one another incredibly well. They're both natural, unforced, and obviously passionate about their products. Best of all, the presentation here, unlike alot of the Transformers presentations, feels like an unscripted personal video made by fans instead of a corporate presentation. These two unabashedly love this stuff, especially Lenny, and if more corporations made product vids like this, where the love is on full display, it'd be fantastic. I will say, though, that Mark Maher and Evan Brooks bring their own passion to the presentations they do, albeit with very different energies according to their personalities. I've often seen comments about Mark's appearing drunk, but it's more a case of his enthusiasm and his unique personality coloring his commentary. The guy's incredibly talented, and I absolutely love that both he and Evan share a lot of BTS stuff involved in the production of the Transformers figs they work on. Too, they always give generous kudos to their Japanese designer counterparts at Takara-Tomy. Despite the distance and the language barrier, they seem to work very well together, and the confluence of both sides' contributions comes through in the production art they share, as well as what we see in the box. I didn't go in on the Skystriker, as much as I was tempted to do so. It turned out gorgeous, I must say, and I'm envious of all who did get their copy(ies). The number of options they packed in with this thing is just amazing. I love that the engines can be removed (I've helped with that particular operation on B-1B bombers), and it's a really cool feature to add to the toy. The removable seats with actual packed-in chutes are another real-world touch that just sings to my soul, along with the retractable gear. The only thing that would have made the latter cooler is if they had allowed the front gear lower strut to have rotation for steering the plane on taxi. Alas, perhaps I ask too much. I'm gushing vicariously, and I sincerely hope that everyone who gets one or more enjoys the hell out of them.
  10. M'Kyuun
    First: Thanks aplenty for that link- I got one. I've checked a couple stores in my area to no avail and had pretty much given up on getting her. As to Legacy bulkhead, I think the wheels on his shoulders are more consequential with this style of military cargo truck than as an homage to either the Prime or Animated bot designs. Neither of those bot designs have wheels on their shoulders, moreover wheels that appear superfluous to the alt mode except as spares as seen in these examples. Animated Bulkhead has a double set of wheels, which are his truck's back tires, on his back, whereas Prime's Bulkhead carries his alt mode's rear wheels on his, at least according to the voyager figure's transformation schema. Legacy Bulkhead's central back tires are his alt mode's front tires, but their appearance on his back correlate to the Prime design, whether on purpose or just as a matter of necessity. TBF, Marcelo Martere took many a liberty with this design, and the final result looks little like either of its inspirations except in little hints. The head sculpt, though, does skew closely to Prime Bulkhead's, and as you pointed out, he has proper fists, like Prime's version, instead of Animated Bulkhead's triple claw-like fingers. The cabover military cargo truck mode as well as the face of the cab becoming the whole of the torso are the main features which sell him as closer to Animated IMHO, but I think bits of both character designs can be seen in the Legacy fig, with a fair bit of license taken as well to give him a more G1 aesthetic.
  11. M'Kyuun
    That's a relief. I once lost a 2x2 blue slope with the Classic Space computer print in my garbage disposal after washing the parts of a used CS set I'd bought. By the time I realized it'd fallen down in there, the part was damaged beyond salvation. I was rather quite unhappy with myself. One of the drawbacks of using the colander is that parts can sometimes find their way over the lip, as I found out the hard way. I definitely wouldn't put LEGO in the washing machine or a dishwasher- too harsh and possibly too hot for the plastics to handle unscathed. I have a friend who puts his bulk dirty LEGO in a pillowcase and then soaks it in the bathtub, a much gentler solution. I never buy enough bulk to where I need to resort to that, but I would if need be.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I watched this last week, and overall, I enjoyed it as well. The action scenes were very well done, and the mother-daughter story was integral to the plot, and well done emotionally. On a sad note, Kang Soo-yeon who played the daughter/scientist character passed away IRL before the film's release. She was only 55.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I got Skyquake, Shrapnel, and Prowl. Not much else shown interested me. If I see Crashbar in the wild, I may just go ahead and get him, too, but for now, I'm good. I'm surprised just how G1 toyish Shrapnel turned out, but looking at Kickback, I guess I shouldn't be. TBF, the animation, both Sunbow and the '86 Movie, matched the look of the toys in insect modes as well. I love how they updated them a few years back and made the insects more real world accurate with actual legs, kickback's abdomen, etc., and part of me wishes that would have carried over to these instead of the weird inaccuracies of the G1 toys. I always say I wish they'd take a more toyish approach, so I guess I got my wish. Despite my slight dismay, I'm still pretty happy to see another Insecticon at deluxe scale. Now we just need Bombshell to complete the team. It was a bit disappointing that neither Snarl nor Swoop were revealed and made available for PO. The Dinobots simply can't come fast enough. I'm with Mike; instead of all these OG characters, I'd like to see them finish up the original G1 cast, make a new improved G1 Mirage, reveal SS86 Ratchet, give us a deluxe Powerglide, and maybe do a set of Omnibots. They're making all these other obscure characters so why not the Omnis? I appreciate that Beachcomber's coming, but honestly, I'd rather have Brawn and Windcharger first. Too, I wish they'd complete the cassettes, both Autobot and Decepticon, although at the current scale, they tend to be so compromised and inarticulate that maybe we're better off without. My hope is that Dr. Wu will make the full set, as his are an improvement over the Hasbro offerings just based on the Beastbox/Squawktalk set I own. I'm looking forward to getting his takes on Raindance and Grand Slam (Man, the names of some of these later characters left somewhat to be desired). So, I guess I'm wrong about Legacy Bulkhead being an Animated-inspired design, as I think it was B-Mac who said Prowl was their first Animated character to be G1-ized in Legacy. To me though, Bulkhead shares far more in common with the Animated model than the Prime model. I own both toys, have done the comparison, and nothing will change my mind. I'm glad to see the Coneheads being reissued. I managed to get Dirge and Ramjet, but my Thrust PO got cancelled by Target, I believe. They sent me an email to confirm my PO, which I didn't see until it was too late, and they were all sold out by the time I responded to the cancellation notice. Since Thrust is my fave of the three, I was duly miffed. This gives hope that I may get another opportunity to finally complete the team without paying the king's ransom demanded on secondary markets. Despite my desire to complete the Coneheads, I must confess that I'm not the biggest fan of the WfC Seeker mold, which borrowed heavily from the Classics mold, only with more alt mode inaccuracies and the same concessions, like the lack of proper landing gear, the too-small forward fuselage, and the gaping hole that lies beneath, a part of that design which I find deplorable on both toys. I'd love to see them employ a solution akin to Newage's, which has one of the best F-15 alt modes of any Seeker toys along with MP-03. It also has a novel transformation schema that I very much dig. My point is, we need a new improved Seeker, b/c the one we have now is both dated and egregiously compromised.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Oh no! I put my parts in a plastic bowl to soak, and then I pour them, gently, into a colander (with small holes- don't want any escapees going down the drain!) and rinse them. Then I lay out a towel and spread the parts out to dry and cover them with another towel to prevent dust and pet hair from adhering to the wet parts. I have a cat, and her hair is everywhere. I usually let them dry overnight- 12-24 hours. It's worked out well so far, although I think my wife sometimes gets a little frustrated with a bunch of LEGO occupying a goodly chunk of our kitchen counter. Such is the compromise of marriage.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Likewise, which is why I snapped up a copy of Phoenix after watching reviews and realizing what a well-done Skyfire toy he turned out to be. I was initially excited when the Daca-Toys version came out, only to feel disappointed when it just wasn't that good. I was equally excited when Hasbro released their WfC: Siege commander class Jetfire, AKA Skyfire (wish they'd actually used that name for him- I do regardless), which itself turned out to be a really well-done take, certainly one of the stand-out figs from that line. Heck, I was happy to get the Generations leader Jetfire, as, at the time, I believed that was the closest we were ever going to get to a toon accurate Skyfire toy in the main line. I remain happy to be wrong. Concerning MP-57, I like it a lot; I think Takara did an excellent job, and as has been pointed out, Takara skewed closer to the toon look, as is their wont these days, than Fans Toys did with Phoenix, as Fans Toys took some liberties with the design, especially the waist. But, I love how FT integrated the arms into the jet mode instead of tucking them away inside the backpack like MP-57, even if it hurt the accuracy a bit. Both are effective solutions, but the engineering of the FT arms wins my heart. I don't mind the liberties taken with his waist sculpt. Contrarily, having just watched vids for both toys, Takara did some amazing stuff with the articulation as well as imbuing him with a full GERWALK mode. The little articulated figs of Prime, Wheeljack, and Jazz are nice additions, and I also like how the gun stows between the legs in jet mode a la Macross Valkyrie style, a nice throwback to the Takatoku VF-1 originally released as G1 Jetfire. I don't remember if Phoenix can carry his gun like that or not- been years since I transformed him, and it didn't appear to stow as such in the vid review I watched. Too, favor goes to Takara for such a smooth transformation schema for such a large fig. It looks like a joy to transform, unlike some of their more complex designs from the past. Too, maybe it's the aircraft fan in me, but I love the landing gear Takara put on this fig, especially those mains with their little bogies- they sing to my soul. 😍 I was going to pass on MP-57, but there are enough differences between the two figures, and what each brings to the table, that I got a copy. It's another dream toy that's been realized after decades of wishing and wanting. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with the big guy- space is sorely limited these days for my ever-expanding toy collections, but we're living in a golden age for Transformers toy collecting, and my fear of regretful non-purchase outweighs my logistical situation for display. It's a first world issue, to be sure, but it's my reality so I'm gonna whine about it a little.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Every success!
  17. M'Kyuun
    Addressing your first question concerning washing LEGO, I use warm water with a little dish soap and let the parts soak for a few hours, sometimes overnight. If the dirt remains after the soak, I use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean the parts. It's tedious and laborious, but effective, and safe. Soapy water will not affect prints, and most stickers, if well-adhered, will generally remain so even after a long soak and even light brushing. As to corroded steel axles, I've not encountered this issue. Light sanding with fine grit sandpaper or perhaps an emery board may prove effective at removing the surface rust, and a light application of mineral oil may serve to mitigate any further corrosion.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Having only used the fine tipped Gundam markers for panel lines and such, I think hand brushing may be a more effective means of achieving a smooth homogenous track of paint. It's laborious and frustrating, but I think it's easier to manipulate the paint into smaller areas, like those wheel wells. Too, I use a fine tipped brush, which helps immensely for precision, although it makes for a slow job. I'm fortunate also, despite my coffee habit, to have a fairly steady hand, which is helpful. I still suffer from overruns, smears, and the like, but I keep a supply of tiny hobby swabs handy as well as the old hobby knife when scraping or just running the paint out of those panel lines becomes necessary, as often is the case. However, if time is of the essence, or you don't feel like expending the effort, the Toyhax set does a good job of providing all the details without the frustration of painting. In my case, I'm cheaper than I am lazy, at least in this instance. I just couldn't justify the price of the stickers for all the more of them I planned on using. Oddly, while I don't exactly enjoy the act of painting, there's still a fulfillment to be had when the job goes well, or well enough for my taste. I'll never be an expert; I simply lack the patience and talent, but like anything else, I guess it comes down to reasonable expectation of result per the amount of time and effort expended, and in some cases, I'm willing to put in the hours or days to try and spruce up these lovely little chunks of plastic. Most unfortunate, that cut on the grill. Alas, another battle scar for the old-timer. Better that than a finger, though. I wonder if a box cutter might not be a better tool than an X-acto for separating that skirt?
  19. M'Kyuun
    Your Twitch came out alright; the extra bit of paint helps. It's a shame that she, and other figs, don't come more fully painted from the factory, but I'm thinking they're squeezing every last drop out of the budgets as it is. Sorry to hear your Ironhide painting and cutting went awry. I wish you success without incident next time. If it's any consolation, I had started painting the stripe on my Ironhide prior to the Toyhax set being revealed. I wanted it to look smoother (I don't own a good airbrush and the old cheapy I do own is probably gummed up with old paint at this point), so I wiped the paint off and waited for the sticker sheet. Upon perusing said sheet, there were far more I didn't want than I did; a basic sheet with the stripes, some back windows, some red stickers for the bumper, and maybe some lights and license plate decals would have been perfect. But I get that some folks want the full G1 look, which, in most cases, looks too dated to me, especially a lot of the robot stickers. Anyway, I passed on the stickers and hand painted it, which looks a little rough, especially upon close inspection, but still better, IMHO, than he did prior. No one else has to look at it but me, so that's ok.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Twitch is the only Earthspark fig thus far released that has interested me enough to buy. I think she's an alright fig, but I have the same complaint about her chest not locking into place, as she's a little back-heavy with her rotors and the merest touch causes her chest to swing up and back. Not a good design by any standard. Her shoulders sit a little too low for my taste as well, but again, her design could have used tweaking before finalization. Regardless, as with Animated, I think her toony look has its charm, and though her alt mode is a made-up drone that looks like nothing real-world that I'm aware of, I still like it. It's different, but in an appealing way, I guess. Compared to Legacy deluxes, though, she reeks of simplicity and likely a lower budget despite her price tag being equal to those higher quality main line toys which in my mind doesn't make for good practice. Alas, that's life in the early twenty-first century it seems.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I didn't even think about Gundam markers, but that might've been an easier way to do it. I wouldn't use a rotary cutter for the reason you mentioned- too large a gap. I think a thin sharp hobby knife is the most effective means to keep the gap to an absolute minimum. Too, if your rotary tool slips, then you've permanently marred the hip skirt. I was a bit reluctant to cut mine, but I vehemently dislike how the single piece looks in a pose, and being inspired by a few others who cut theirs, I pressed on. Glad I did- time and effort well-spent. I figured one of the third-party upgrade makers would produce a three-part skirt to replace the single piece, but AFAIK, nobody has. I also figured they'd make a detachable back cannon. Hasbro made one for the WfC Siege Ratchet/Ironhide figs, but it would have been nice to get it with the version of the character for whom it's actually known. Oh, and I got payment notifications from Pulse for both Tarn and Leo Prime. I'll probably receive them early next week.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I used Testor's 1150 flat red enamel, Testor's flat yellow (Testor's Hobby and Craft acrylic 18 pack with a series of colors both gloss and flat), and a mix of Vallejo 70.991 Dark Sea Grey (FS36231) acrylic mixed with a bit of Testor's acrylic flat black (also from the 18-pack) to darken it to the approximate plastic color. I didn't get it exactly, but pretty close. I would have used flat red acrylic from that 18 pack, but both the flat and gloss red paints inexplicably cured into rubbery blobs that wouldn't resuscitate with water. It's quite odd, as they are the only paints in that set to have done so and both had their lids snapped closed. The only other comparable red I own is the flat enamel, so that's what I used. In hindsight, given the glossy appearance of Hasbro's paint, perhaps a gloss red would be a better choice. To cut the skirt, I used a brand-new X-Acto hobby knife; it still took a bit of work- ABS is tough stuff, but I managed to cut both sides while preserving the bits on either side of the center crotch piece that the pin goes through. I just followed the molded lines and kept scoring it while trying to keep the blade as perpendicular to the cutting surface as possible. Fortunately, I managed it successfully and without any impromptu blood lettings or amputations. I recommend caution if you attempt it. Too, if you go ahead and paint yours, I wish you more success than I had; initially, I masked the lines on the right side of the van but became overconfident and careless in my application and had to go back and do some clean up. After that, I free-handed everything else to better effect. Trying to get the paint looking right around those wheel wells is challenging, and I wish I'd done a better job of it. I suck at painting, though. Concerning your Earthspark Bee review, I don't think it's a bad looking fig overall. The huge intakes on the sides are a little detracting from the front, but otherwise look good from just about any other angle. Still, I think I like the Cyberverse design better, especially the bot mode. I don't own the Cyberverse fig and likely won't pick up the Earthspark version, so I get to enjoy them vicariously. I completely support your argument on the pricing of these figs as opposed to the superior Generations main line stuff. The price should reflect the quality, and anyone who's handled figs from Cyberverse or Earthspark and Generations knows there's a notable difference there in the build and engineering between them. Good review, Mike. Every success in your Ironhide improvements.
  23. M'Kyuun
    At this point I'd take either, especially if it was done as well as the upcoming Legacy Skyquake. That said, I'd still like to get my hands on the original toy or a nice update that maintains the Animated aesthetic.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I did some painting. I also separated Ironhide's uni-skirt, which IMHO, improves the look of the fig in dynamic poses. I waited for Toyhax's set, but it was replete with labels I didn't want or intend to apply; all I wanted was his yellow stripes, the red bits to fix his overpainted bumper area, and some grey decals for the top of his torso which didn't even come in the set, surprisingly. So, I took up brush and did my best to bring him a little closer to his toon look. I think he looks ready to start bustin' Deceptichops. 😉
  25. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, I'm thinking he's going to be stealing the show every time he has a bit of scenery to chew, pun intended. 😇
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