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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    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.
  2. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    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.
  3. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    Funny- mine came via DHL, but I had to sign for it. I think they change the rules from state to state.
  4. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    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.
  5. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    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.
  6. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    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.
  7. M'Kyuun
    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.
  8. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    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.
  9. M'Kyuun
    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.
  10. M'Kyuun
    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.
  11. M'Kyuun
    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.
  12. M'Kyuun
    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.
  13. M'Kyuun
    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.
  14. M'Kyuun
    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."
  15. M'Kyuun
    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.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Well, mileage varies. Looks good to me, and my wife, to whom I'm belly-aching over the decision to get him, is telling me to just get him. She's not really a fan of all this stuff herself, but pretty supportive regardless. For 14 years, she's given ear to all my regrets over passed-over or otherwise un-obtained toys, and nudges me towards getting this stuff when I'm teetering on the fence. I fear it may be a little too much like inviting an alcoholic to a bar.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Too wide- do you mean in the legs/shoulder width? To me he's difficult to distinguish from the G1 toy in distant shots/thumbnails. In a word, lovely. I've never bought a Fans Toys product, but just from various reviews and comments on the forums, they have a very good reputation for making a quality product. Honestly, my only concern is that tail being loose in the leg in bot mode- it would be the only mar on an otherwise near perfect toy (nothing's 100%). Been looking up their other Dinos, and I'm thinking I may need to snap up a copy of Scoria, as they seem to be going fast as well. Wish these things weren't so expensive. Collector's lament.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Seriously considering getting Fans Toy's regular version of Stomp, but the folded up tail in the leg doesn't look like it secures very well, if at all, by any tabs or otherwise locking mechanism. So I'm curious if anyone here who owns him could give some insight as to whether that becomes an issue over time. In all other regards, he looks amazing, and my nostalgia runneth over every time I see a picture of him. Moreover, it doesn't seem like Takara are going to revisit the Dinobots any time soon in the MP line, and besides, their Grimlock was a bit small compared to MP-10. FT got the look and size just right, IMHO. Any feedback is appreciated.
  19. M'Kyuun
    It's either 6134 or 3938. Good luck completing it!
  20. M'Kyuun

    Bandai DX VF-31

    M'Kyuun replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    Looking forward to the upcoming release of Messer's ride, along with the Sv-262 in a few days. New valks are awesome.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I hope they come through for you, Scyla, and you too, Silverstreak. Guess I got lucky, as my MP Cheetor showed up yesterday. I had high expectations for this figure; after hours of handling him, and accomplishing a transformation to robot and back to cheetah, my thoughts are that this is a better display piece than a toy. Going from cat to bot, all was smooth sailing until I got to the point of locking the torso with the little blue part by his collar. I spent hours unfolding and refolding the torso bits to try and get it to lock, but it seemed like the cat head was too big and wouldn't let the torso compress enough for it to lock. ( it would lock just fine if I removed the cheetah head) Moreover, it's a very tight fit in the body cavity, so the cat whiskers get mashed and bent all out of shape (stiff wiry plastic). I wish they'd made them from a softer, more hair-like material that can take being mashed and spring back. Anyway, I finally got the head to fit in and the body to lock. After all that fuss, I was rue to transform him back, but I wanted my wife, who's also a BW fan, to see him in his cat mode. So, reluctantly, I began the frustrating journey back to cheetah. The sore spot for me on this fig is that there are no clear detentes to let you know you've got the arms positioned correctly- all joints in the arms, including the tiny mushroom joints that hold them on to the body, are friction joints. I likely spent over an hour configuring and re-configuring the arms to try and hit that 'sweet spot' where they come together without interfering with each other or rubbing against the bot head, and getting all the tabs to mate. This last was an exercise in frustration- trying to get them to tab into the cheetah's collar- it's enough to piss off the Dali Lama. Also, there is no discernible way to lock the cat's back, so when you pick him up the forward and aft halves of the cat sag a little. There's a sort of friction detente between two of the cat's lower body parts that is meant to hold the body in position, but it's simply not up to the task, esp after a number of transformations where those parts are folded and unfolded repeatedly. The final results, though, are rewarding, mostly. Bot mode, if you can get the torso to lock, is the more solid of the two modes, and looks like he stepped out of the animation. His articulation is fantastic. For some reason, when Takara designed his two weapons, they only gave one of them tabs on the handle to ensure a solid grip. The one without, which forms the entire lower back and tail of cheetah mode, is pretty ungainly and awkward due to its bulk, and without a tab to keep it firmly gripped, just sags in his hand. Disappointing. In his cheetah mode, there are gaps here and there that betray his bot parts, and of course they're pretty obvious on the back legs, but honestly, it's not an enviable or easy task to make a perfectly organic looking animal from a robot, and I think Takara did a great job making him look as good as he does. Articulation in cheetah mode is excellent- esp the front legs; even the toes have ankle tilt as well as fore and aft. The neck joint extends and allows the head limited up, down, left, and right, as well as rotation for a cocked-head look. Between the extra faces/heads, swappable eyes(cheetah), and the pose-ability, this is a very emotive figure. While not the most fun to transform, once achieved, Cheetor is a great display piece esp given all the options to change his look. One other negative, at least on my copy, is that the extending neck in cheetah mode weakened after only a little bit of head movement, and just barely holds the head up (there's a small sweet spot that still has friction), so I'll likely have to apply some glue to try and tighten that up a little- kinda crappy, though, for a high end figure only hours out of the box. I just so happen to have TR Wolfwire sitting on my desk while typing this, and he's such a solid figure with a great transformation- makes me wish they could have achieved this kind of simplicity and solidarity with Cheetor.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I had a cheap Xabungle toy back in the 80's. I had no idea what Xabungle was, but the packaging showed that it transformed, and that was all the reason I needed. I remember it could become the car and trailer, and it could split into the car and the legs became a poor semblance of the rover. Like most 80's toys, articulation was nil; in fact, IIRC, the arms couldn't even rotate forward, but were hinged to swing laterally parallel to the body for transformation. The artwork on the packaging, like soooo many transforming toys in the 80's, looked dynamic and cool. Seeing this new figure brings back memories of that old toy, but also shines alight on how much toy tech has progressed in the last 30 years. I'm not interested in getting this guy, but I have to admit that, for an older design, it's still pretty cool.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I kinda like that cab-only Ginrai fig, minus the exhaust pipes on his chest. Overall, as a CHUG sized figure, I like him better than both Classics Prime and CW Prime. Those pipes gotta go, though. I wonder if he's permanently in full pelvic thrust mode, or if that can straighten out a bit?
  24. M'Kyuun
    Sorry to hear that, Scyla. Robot Kingdom may have it cheaper, but with a caveat: they also tend to overcharge for shipping. Hope you find one close to the HLJ asking price. Good luck! I had a bit of good luck in that MP Cheetor released just a day or so before my PW deadline was up for Takara's Legends Ginrai, and I managed to ship them together. I was hoping it would go down that way, but figured Cheetor would issue the day after Ginrai shipped, as that's how my luck usually tends to go. Fate smiled this time.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Couldn't have said it better. Alas, another favorite actor gone...far too soon.
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