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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Well, the way I look at it is: the issues with Apollyon don't outweigh the good. Moreover, it's an excellent take on Megatron, and whether or not Takara will produce a new MP G1 Megatron is an unknown. Apollyon isn't too badly priced, comes with a number of accessories, and fits the current MP scale, and looks great (IMO). If Takara doesn't produce a new Megs for whatever reason, I'm covered. If they do, and it looks good, I'll get him, too. If Takara makes a new MP Megs, and it's too close to their first attempt, then, again, I'm covered. As of BotCon, it seems Takara's focus is shifting to MP Beast Wars due to the 20th anniversary. While I'm curious to see what kind of innovation they bring to the line, I'm a little meh. I want to finish my G1 MP collection. I'd love to have the entire '84 lineup, as those are the core characters, and first season remains my favorite out of all the G1 TF toons. I found the show to be increasingly unwatchable after first season, even when I was a kid. To me, the first season had a more serious, slightly more mature, undertone than the successive seasons, and it really appealed to me. It just got silly after that. Anyway, I know MP Ironhide, and Ratchet by default, are coming; I just hope they continue to produce the G1 figures along with Beast Wars. Speaking of G1 figs, Fans Toys' Willy is mighty tempting. However, I'm of the mind that Takara will eventually get around to making him, and judging by the previous releases, he'll be worth the wait.
  2. M'Kyuun
    My wife got Apollyon for me for my birthday. I'm looking forward to getting him. RobotKingdom has him for $139, but they take their pound of flesh on the shipping. Ouch!
  3. M'Kyuun
    Awesome figure; hope you enjoy. The only negative I really have with him is the covered wheel wells in bot mode. I think he looks better with his back wheels uncovered and exposed. Either that, or they should have rotated the whole wheel assembly into the leg to keep the legs looking animation smooth. Still a really impressive Prime figure.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Don't forget Trailbreaker, Mirage, Sunstreaker, the rest of the mini-Autobots, and a new improved Megs. Once all these guys are made, that'll be the original '84 lineup. I hope TT continue to produce G1 MP along with their BW. I think by now they know the G1 figs are definite sellers; Beast Wars is kinda iffy. Somewhat OT: I've searched the net a bit to see if any progress has been made on Bandai's Gokin Machine-Robo (Gobots) figs, to no avail. I was hoping by now there would have been finalized pics and preorders, but nothing. The prototypes looked good. At the very least I wanted that Leader-1 and SR-71 fig. Hope these make it to production, that they sell well, and more of the line get made. I'd love to get a Road Ranger and Royal-T done in this style.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Despite my earlier misgivings, I decided to put the packs/armor on mine in battroid, including the wing packs. I kept them on overnight unsupported, and there was no apparent droop on either side this morning, so that's a plus. Today, I decided to transform it back to fighter with all of its gear on. What a Pain. The two major issues were 1) trying to keep the hips tabbed into position while manipulating the legs into position to accommodate the armor, and 2) those little grey pieces that tab into the calves fall off with the merest provocation. I finally managed to get the arms into fighter position, and then get the legs into their position, and then ever so carefully reattach the grey calf pieces for the 50th time. Not the best design, since the little white flap in the shoulder pauldron has to be pre-positioned so as to slide under the grey calf part. I absolutely could not get the shoulders to go into fighter position without their knocking the calf parts off, so I spent a very frustrating hour or so trying to get them into place with tweezers and my fingers. I have small hands, and had trouble, so you guys with sausage fingers, good luck! The only other issue I had after that was getting the left aft wing shroud to tab into the leg armor. I finally got it, but not without some finagling. However, after all the handling and invective, the final product is beautiful. Once everything was lined up and pressed into place to close the gaps, it was quite sturdy. I have to admit, those wing boosters, which are indeed a challenge to attach, look great on the fighter. I wish Kawamori could have found a way to get them to swing behind the shoulders, as they're just too bulky and awkward looking on the battroid, esp if the wings are left extended. I managed to get them to attach with the wings in their normal battroid config, but they fall off very easily. I also wish the designers had made the gunpod hinge from the grip; IMO it would have looked better and been more effective at keeping the gun level with the underbelly. I think they could have also simplified the canard rotation joint. I have to concur with some of the other folks concerning the tampo; while I'm extremely appreciative that they went so far, it's almost too much. I also agree with Chronocidal about inappropriate markings, although I honestly haven't looked at all of them closely yet. I wish they'd just done the basic intake marking and made it a little smaller. Compared to real aircraft, the font on some markings are a little large. I think it's funny that there are 4 jack pad attachment points on the nose and 2 apiece on each leg. Most fighters only require 3, sometimes 4 jacks. The B-1B only requires 4 jacks, and I'm pretty sure it's much larger and heavier than a real world VF-19. I think they got carried away with the "cool" factor, and practicality went out the window. Still, no regrets. Overall, it's a fine toy, and I think the transformation will be much smoother with the armor and packs removed.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Mine came this morning, about a day earlier than I expected. Yay USPS. (Sorry for your issues with them, Loop) Anyway, having watched Bandai's video a couple times last week, transformation was pretty quick with only a couple surprises. As Macross Junkie noted, the retracting rear half of the inner leg is a cool design, esp the way it snaps out into place when the foot is extended. Mine is pretty solid in the joints ( the right leg's hip joint was so tight I was afraid I was going to snap the leg off, but it gave without incident. Sigh of relief). I was really impressed at the amount of tabbing involved in the chest and upper torso. Mine snapped together very well. The only two issues I had were getting the wing boosters on (finally got 'em, but there's not much holding them on there. Incidentally, I put mine on with the wings folded in their normal battroid configuration. It looks weird with the wings extended) , and my left canard sags a bit in battroid- there's too much play in the joint. Other than those two issues, I found the transformation fairly similar to the Arcadia. The chest has a few extra steps due to the lower sliding bits and the cannon things folding into position. The backpack on mine was pretty tight, so I took it easy extending it for battroid. Due to the ankle design mirroring that of the other frontier valks, the ankles are sturdy and can hold a pose well. The hip joints surprised me at how much the legs can spread. This is by far the most agile of the -19 toys. It also has double-jointed elbows. It also holds the rifle straighter in battroid than either Yamato or Arcadia. I didn't even notice that there's no knee rotation ( not a GERWALK fan), but the articulation it does have makes for a very dynamically poseable figure. So far, really pleased with it.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Well, my wife sent me on a mission to Wally today, and as usual, I went straight to the toy aisle before attending to my assignment. With the usual lowered expectations, I surveyed the TF area, and nearly missed the small collection of Warrior Class Protectobots sitting haphazardly on the bottom shelf (there aren't even any pegs for Generations). It looked like they had about two of each, so I snagged Rook. Not a bad fig, but characteristically simple. They also had several Silverbolts and Motormasters, but no Hot Spot. They have no Legion sized figs at all, not even a peg for them. I was hoping to get Groove, too, as I like motorcycle TFs. Anyway, just wanted to spread a little happy TF sighting news. Hope everyone else finds them too.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Overall the Arcadia still gets my vote for accuracy, esp battroid. However it's not without its faults, the most noticeable to my eyes being the huge black gaps at the knees in fighter. The Bandai gets kudos galore for the smoothness of the lower fuselage and legs...beautiful. In profile, the Bandai looks closer to the Yamato in that the nose is basically straight, and they relied on the downward tilt due to the shorter nose gear to achieve the nose-down look. Consulting the Macross Design Works, Kawamori-san provides no direct side profile art of the YF-19, although the drawings do seem indicate a slight downward slope. I'm not an aircraft engineer, but having been around fighter aircraft, I've never seen one yet that had such a pronounced nose slope as the Arcadia. For aerodynamics sake, I think the Bandai got it right, although for some reason, my eyes favor the Arcadia. If HFH was indeed on-hand to oversee the design, well I guess they couldn't get it more right. Despite my bias for the Arcadia, the more I look at the Bandai, the more I like it. The slight curvature of the shins, the smaller and shapelier lower legs, the double-jointed elbows, the single piece panel under the nose in battroid, the canard stowage, the sleekness of its fighter mode, Bandai's superior hands, and copious tampo all conspire to make this an excellent entry into the world of high end Macross collectible toys. Can't wait to get it in my grubby mitts.
  9. M'Kyuun
    So Hasbro took the effort to make two new molds and a heavily modded Hot Spot for the Combaticons, and then said "F"-it when it came to Blast-off. I hope Takara rights that wrong, and it's available at a reasonable price. Pretty cheap of them. Edit: Looking again at the pics, I noticed that Swindle is a dune buggy instead of a Humvee. Why, Hasbro? The whole point of the Combaticons is that they are military vehicles and a shuttle. That's the appeal. Why are changing stuff that no one wants changed? Even Animated Swindle achieved a Humveeish look. At least 3rd parties get the vehicle modes right. Disappointing. Shame they couldn't make Ironhide's accessory tray fit into his alt mode somehow, with tiny retractable treads. Good to hear the hip kibble can disappear; makes you wonder why they displayed him with it out. As for Beast Wars MP; I'm kinda meh, despite how much I love the show. I've picked up a few of the recent Generations releases (Waspinator, Rhinox, and Rat-trap), all of which I love, and they do it for me for collecting purposes. Now if TT does use some kind of rubbery skin to make the figs look seamless, and it works really well, I may have to reconsider. I hope the focus on BW doesn't mean they're halting production of the G1 characters...they've got their hook in me and now I want them all. But at the very least, we'll get Ironhide and Ratchet in the forseeable future. Looking through the BotCon pics: What the heck is mini-Shockwave's alt mode supposed to be? He doesn't look like a space gun. Nice to see Chopshop, but where's Kickback? Also saw a mini-bird TF that turns into a yellow square...anybody know what the alt mode is supposed to be? I can't believe they made Sky Lynx. Wasn't crazy about him in the 80's, and nothing's changed since then. I will say, though, they made a nice looking modern version of him. He's just not my cup of tea.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Y'know, it sours me on this hobby when Hasbro will go the cheapest route possible and release substandard versions of their toys at retail, while Takara, generally, always improves the same product for Japanese retail. In the case of Devastator, the improvements are blatant, and I wonder if Hasbro knew they were going to make those improvements, but settled for the lesser articulated figs for NA distribution? If so, that's a serious dick move on their part, and they won't get my money. Actually, for all my ranting, even after the added elbow joints, Bonecrusher and Scavenger remain the best two designs out of the team, and they're the only two who weren't modified. Seems to me, they should have been the standard for the rest. My initial thought upon looking at MP Ironhide was that he looked like 3rd party, with the hip kibble and really plain red legs. Granted, hip kibble aside, he looks like his cartoon self. I am glad to see the cannon can mount to his back (would have been incrementally cooler if it extended/retracted out of there, but just glad it's included). It's also kinda neat that he comes with his mobile weapons platform, only I don't see the treads. Guess it's his stationary weapons platform now. Love all the little add-ons. This bodes well for the inevitable Ratchet, as he'll no doubt come with his welding arm and various tools. Wish they'd put some little bit of mechanical detail on the shins, as they look really plain and need something to break it up. Overall, though, that's a pretty good Ironhide, and he'll be a welcome addition to my MP collection.
  11. M'Kyuun
    'preciate the pics, F360! I still prefer Arcadia's,esp battroid, as it resembles the lineart very well, but Bandai did an impressive job on the Advance, and I'll be happy to have it. Keeping my eyes open for the HLJ payment agreement via email.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I still have yet to see any of the Protectobots. Went to Wally tonight, and all they had were 2 Motormasters, 2 Silverbolts, and 3 pegs with RID 1 step changers. That was it for Transformers. Either the store's not ordering stock, or Hasbro's not pumping it out fast enough to meet demand. Either way, it's slim pickings. I'd like to get Rook and Groove, but honestly, I'm not really into the Combiners. That said, I've always liked the Combaticons, and I definitely want to get Bruticus, if possible. My main draw to TFs are the CHUGS and MP. Since most of the main G1 cast have been done for the CHUG line, the majority of which I own, my collecting has slowed down a bit. I'd love to see an official CHUG Reflector, and all the Dinobots made to strongly homage their G1 toys (I know they made Classics Grimlock, but I didn't care for that figure very much). I'd also love to see a proper CHUG Soundwave and cassettes to round out the Decepticons. Right now, my G1 Soundwave stands tall on my Classics shelf, and he fits in pretty well. I doubt any of my wish-toys will come to fruition, since Takara/Hasbro have shied away from making non-vehicle TFs, other than Beast Wars, but I can hope. I waited 30 years for a proper Prowl; I hope it doesn't take that long, though.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I was blissfully unaware that the PS3 played media outside of Blu-Ray, DVD, and games. If I want to play music, I either use my wife's old boombox, or I Youtube it on the PC. I'm curious to see the upgrade in graphics from the PS3: Batman's gonna look awesome.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Play-Asia got me once, when the VF-25S was being reissued. I'd read all the caveats, but they were the only open preorder, so I dived in. Needless to say, I didn't get my VF-25 from them, but I did get my refund and a Paypal fee. It's a shady practice, and I'll reiterate what's already been said: avoid them, at least for valk preorders. Incidentally, once they notified me that they didn't have my item, they offered me the choice of refund with Paypal fee, or store credit. That's how they roll; buyer beware. Yep, looking forward to comparing it with the Arcadia. Scale, honestly, doesn't bug me as much as design, and so far she does appear to be complex, interesting, and pretty.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Thirding the comments concerning Yamato's/ Arcadia's -19 line. The engineering, and subsequent achievement in aesthetics, is remarkable. I hope they bring this kind of innovation to an eventual, and all around improved, YF-21. The YF-19 is my favorite valk design, followed by the VF-25( I like the lanky battroid), so I was ecstatic to have scored a recent preorder for the Advance. I'm really hoping this will be a solid figure, although it already looks to be slightly more involved due to the chest and leg panels. From the pics, though, she's looking quite lovely. Bandai definitely scores huge points off the bat for all the tampo, a practice I hope Arcadia adopts for their future releases.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Ooooh.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Eh, while it's not necessary, I think it's cool that they incorporated the waist swivel; it's a first for a -19 toy. The folding nose gear is an interesting innovation, but I wonder how the mid joint will hold up over time, esp if you extend and retract the gear often. I also like the retracting inner leg panels to preserve the look of the inner leg, but I hope it doesn't become a floppy mess down the road. I don't even have the thing yet, and already my stress level is climbing. Mine will spend the vast majority of its existence in battroid, so it's not much of an issue for me. The hip ball joints are my big worry. I'll likely leave the wing packs off to preserve the wing shroud joints' integrity. Glad I just put up some new shelves, as my current valk display space is full. Need some Detolfs.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I was going to wait until possibly Christmas to get the PS4 ( my wife owes me a nice present; I got her a Samsung Galaxy 5 for her birthday), but with the next Arkham Asylum game coming next week, I caved and got the Batman Bundle. Can't wait to wreak some havoc in the Batmobile. The Gamestop dude also told me that this is the last year for PS3 games. I haven't confirmed it, but I have no reason to doubt it, either.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Nah, some of the Bayverse movie toys are more complex, at least to me. Actually, I find most valks to be pretty straightforward. It's the odd transformation steps, like the CF VF-171 knee locks, or the moving chest pieces and leg panels on the 19 Advance, put in there by the designers, that complicate the original design. The VF-9 Cutlass is a different animal, though. Probably why nobody but Experten has attempted it in toy/model form. Agree completely. The transformation is what makes these things unique and sets them apart from other toys. There's a puzzle aspect to them that requires ingenuity on the part of both designers and consumers. That's always been a great part of the appeal, not to mention getting 2 cool toys in one (I don't count GERWALK). I also share your concern of this devolving into floppiness, esp those wings, the wing shroud joints, and the hips.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I like how the chest bits move negating the big gap in the inner thigh; granted, the thigh will still be hollow, but it will only be apparent from behind. I'm a little surprised how many transformation techniques they borrowed from Arcadia, but when something works well, I can't blame them for copying. Glad they didn't copy the ball jointed ankles or the crappy canard design from Yamato/Arcadia. I was so hoping they would do a single rotation point on the wings, as I'm not a fan of Arcadia's sloppy linkages, and have neither the interest nor desire to ever put my 19 in high speed mode. Hope they stay tighter than my Arcadia. While I think the neck shield built in to the shield is innovative, I really wish they could have designed the neck shield into the transformation without removal. IIRC, there was a custom model or toy some years ago that did it well, so that the neck shield rotated 180 degrees and sat under the neck joint in battroid. I don't remember where I saw it, just that I did. I love how the Japanese do demo and review videos: no opinions or jabbering, just putting the toy through its paces to music. I like how they reinforced the trickier transformation bits with explanatory lineart. I'm looking ever forward to transforming it myself.
  21. M'Kyuun
    So true..we're, like, 15 years behind the projection, and not even a damned hoverboard, let alone a flying car. Actually, the way they drive here, it's probably a good thing. Just got back from seeing it, and thought it a good sequel to the original. There are some nice nods to Jurassic Park throughout. I was hoping there'd be at least a cursory mention of Alan Grant or Ian Malcolm, but sadly, no. While the basic formula is still in place, what I liked best was the mirroring of real world amusement park mentality: always looking to create a bigger, better thrill to lure more visitors in and liberate them of their hard earned money. As with all these movies, there had to be Kids-In-Peril so kids in the audience had someone to relate to, I guess. Wish they'd been eaten, but no. Chris Pratt made a good hero, albeit quite watered down compared to his Star-Lord. I got a little bit of an Indiana Jones-ish feeling from some of the scenes. Anyway, seeing the dinos up on the big screen reeking havoc again made for a nice Sunday afternoon.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Both versions look good to me; there's no mistaking who they are, but there's something about the Maketoys that I like better. Not liking the price tag, though. I understand why, but the high cost of most 3rd party stuff has deterred me. If I do go for a 3rd party toy, it'll be Apollyon. Great looking figure for a decent price at the MP scale.
  23. M'Kyuun
    He's keeping one, and selling the other. But as Valk-1S mentioned, there's 1 per customer limit at HLJ, so he may only receive one. If this ships on the 20th, I should get mine about a week before my b-day. Heck of a nice gift, even if it is from me.
  24. M'Kyuun
    The trailer looks pretty good..some of the irreverent humor is there and...potatoes! Looking forward to this.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Listening to the hydraulics technician describe the system is amazing to me, having been a career hydraulics tech in the Air Force. The highest pressure system I ever worked on was the B-1B's 4000 psi / 5 gpm system, which, when married with servo-actuators, whose movement is dictated by accelerometers, is capable of incredibly rapid and precise motion. It's also quite hazardous should a rupture occur. Pinhole leaks were especially hazardous, as the stream can remove fingers or create a life-threatening injection scenario. By his statement, the T-Rex was a 9000 psi /60 gpm system, which boggles my mind. That's an incredible amount of power being harnessed and controlled. The jaws of life, by comparison, is a 10,000 psi system. The rupture of a hose, tubing, or component is certainly fatal to anyone standing nearby. The amount of achievable force is also remarkable; the entire horizontal stab of the B-1B, nearly the same size as an F-15's wing, is a moveable surface. I can still recall the days hanging out on the stab, watching F-16s taking off, while we replaced the stab actuator. Glad I'm retired. The tech in the hydraulics field continues to become more and more impressive, and with all the other motion control technologies being developed, it still remains the best option for lightweight extreme power, control, and precision within a confined area. I don't work in the field anymore, but from a young age, I have always retained a fascination for hydraulic applications. The T-Rex is pretty high on the list. Hope they used a practical model like this for Jurassic World...the realism can't be matched by CG.
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