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M'Kyuun

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Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. Those Gobots are looking pretty good. At the least, I'd like to get Leader-1, Turbo, Cy-Kill, and the SR-71 guy (don't remember his name). What, no Crasher? Scooter I can live without, but Crasher would be cool. I'd also love a Road Ranger fig that becomes a full tractor trailer like the original.
  2. I believe what he's saying is that we often anticipate these figures with a definitive picture of what they should look like, whether its based on the animation, artwork, an original toy, or an alt mode based on an existing vehicle. We want these to look a particular way based on personal preference, and it's often disappointing when the toy manufacturer, be it Takara/Hasbro/ third party, takes a bit of creative license and makes a toy that is similar to what we want, but different enough to lose our interest. It's especially frustrating when a character you really like is announced to be made, especially if that character has little hope of getting official treatment, and you get your hopes up, you build it up in your mind, you scour the net for any crappy picture you can get, and then finally the clear pics start coming and it's....wrong, sooo wrong! I know I've done it. This was the case for me when Bandai's original chunky DX VF-25's were revealed. I already had the 1/72 model of the VF-25S with proper proportions and hip placement, so I figured the toy would follow suit. It didn't. We had to wait for the renewal version. But there were a lot of people who bought and defended the originals. And the same goes for TFs; people like different things, and often its more of the little details, or lack thereof, that irk us. Concerning the 3rd party Astrotrain, I'm with David; make it look as close to the real shuttle as possible, and as close to a real train. Those things exist, and the original toy looked as close to a real shuttle as 80's toy tech would allow; we've come along way since then, and when one company can churn out something with accurate-to-real-world alt modes, why can't they all? Some choose to take license just for the sake of it; that's fine for those who want something different, or just aren't that picky. I'm patient enough to wait for the "right" version to be made.
  3. And a bigger cab for Mixmaster. Devastator looks like he has a club foot and a shrunken head, plus a bad hangover. I guess symmetry has been struck from the list of design factors, along with complexity beyond 10-15 steps. In the wake of all the third party Not-Devastators, I was expecting something better from a company with 30+ years experience to set the bar, esp on such an iconic character. I erred. More money for LEGO, my other addiction.
  4. +1 Realistic alt modes is a huge part of the allure of transforming toys. I've always disdained Cybertronian modes b/c it generally seems to give license for shitty alt modes with lazy transformations, with a few exceptions. That shuttle and train mode look good to me, but I'm also not caring for the split vertical stab on the chest, nor the open areas in the abdomen. Fix those two areas, and that will be a fine Astrotrain. I'm also on the fence about preordering Apollyon; I have a feeling Takara/Hasbro are going to shy away from making another Walther alt mode. Moreover, if this thing turns out to be pretty solid, it'll be a challenge for Takara to do better, IMHO. I think I'll wait for some reviews, but more than likely I'll get him eventually. The G1 Megs will always be my favorite version, and MP-05 was a bit of a letdown. I hope Apollyon turns out awesome.
  5. Yeah, I'd like to have a copy, too, but I learned my lesson with the 25S scramble. I'll stick to NY, HLJ, or CDJapan. No more YesAsia for me, at least not for valk preorders. I'm in the same boat as Valkyrie Magnus; I'd like to have it, as it has enough differences from the Arcadia to make it worth the purchase at a reasonable price, but it's not a must-have at this point. The Arcadia 19 is a pretty fine representation and fills the void left by my Yamato 19 after its right arm fell off when its shoulder spontaneously disintegrated. IF NY end up getting a bit of stock after release, and the mark up isn't too excessive, I may spring for one then.
  6. Ironically, I didn't care for Track's character, but I had the toy. Contrarily, I didn't have Ironhide, but he was one of my favorite characters. I had Ratchet, though. The original G1 toy for Ratchet and Ironhide was odd, so I can see why the animation model was changed. Hopefully , the MP version will do justice to his onscreen appearance. If so, a MP Ratchet will be sure to follow.
  7. I'm hoping that Ironhide, and Ratchet by extension, are truly getting the MP treatment. Tracks seems an odd choice to me, since he was more of a side character, esp when there are still quite a few of the original and better known characters (Jazz, Hound, Cliffjumper, Mirage, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, just to name a few) that still need their own MP versions. Rumor from the UK Toy Fair says the new Devastator is going to be Titan Class, but due to aiming across multiple age groups, the bots will be pretty simplified. My thinking is, make two versions: a simplified version to go along with the rest of the 1-2 step TFs, and one for the Generations line with a little more complexity to the transformations. I personally hate the new trend of taking the transformation out of Transformers; to me, that's the allure. While I can't stand Bay's TFs, I have to say that many of the toys that came out of at least the first two movies were amazing little feats of engineering. I'm not saying that the Generations line needs to have that kind of complexity, but I'd hate to see what I consider their main line of TFs to be reduced to 2-3 step changers with little to no real transformation involved. At that point, I guess I'll save a bit of money and concentrate solely on the MP line.
  8. If the rumors are true, I hope they tackle Ironhide first. It'll be interesting to see how they translate ideas from both the G1 toy and the animation model. My one hope is that he can deploy his cannon out of his back like in the third part of the original 3 part pilot, and still retain it in his van mode as well.
  9. MMC's version looks better to me, too. Both are cool, though. Classics Mirage is still one of my top 10 favorite TF toys, but I'd like a little more complexity, as well as better front wheel displacement, in a MP toy. MMC's does the job. Badcube's Warrior Wardog is a thing of beauty. They've set the bar high for Takara to beat, if they even give Warpath the MP treatment.
  10. Transformers was the end-all of cool to me when it first appeared in '84, and all those characters from the first season, a few from later seasons, and of course The Movie, all still resonate strongly with me. As much as Hasbro keeps trying to reinvent the franchise, it seems they always mine the original show for characters, names, and story ideas (Key to Vector Sigma, Well of Allsparks, Cosmic Rust, etc). With that in mind, the CHUG line is generally one of my most anticipated, along with MP. This year's line has me especially happy as we're finally getting Arcee; but beyond that, this year's line also seems to be much more faithful representations of the G1 characters in both bot and alt modes. Essentially, these are the toys I wish we'd gotten 30 years ago. The frustration is that we've known about them for months, there are vid and pictorial reviews on most TF sites now, but the actual toys are nowhere to be found in stores. I refuse to pay online prices and shipping for something I should be able to get at most local retailers. Moreover, CHUGS are usually the least stocked TF items when I do encounter them, esp if it's a movie year. All those shitty Bay toys just clog the pegs and shelves. I used to enjoy the hunt, but anymore it has become exasperating. Why are these things so hard to find?
  11. I enjoy collecting CHUGS, and trying to hunt them down has become wearisome. Aside from seeing Jetfire at TRU last month, I've yet to see another new release to date. I don't know if local retailers are being more cautious about stocking TFs due to the voluminous amount of AoE toys still bending their pegs, or if it 's just Hasbro's inability to meet demand, but collecting these things seems to be an increasingly frustrating enterprise with each passing year. I see where Technoblue and MikeSzekely are coming from.
  12. Nice, but those decals look more like they belong in a Barbie's New Sportscar set than with a giant transforming artillery battery.
  13. Shame they didn't hire the Waschowskis to direct this. Of all the directors in Hollywood, they are probably the most familiar with the source material, and have proven experience copying anime style action. They, or James Cameron, would have been my picks for director(s). I also think Scarlett was chosen to put a big name on the marquee to Band-Aid an otherwise loose and soulless adaptation. It'll make a decent opening, but once the reviews start, it'll die a quick death in theatres, followed by a quick release to DVD with a lot of extras that nobody cares about. Hollywood is like a dumb kid who pisses on an electric fence again and again. It hurts, but they don't learn from their mistakes.
  14. Missed 'em all. Congrats to everyone who scored. Time for bed.
  15. I tried and failed with the 25S preorder, but I'm up for giving it another go for Bandai's VF-19. I got my 25S from NY, and hopefully that'll work out a second time if I miss the nanosecond preorder window. Up to 16 guests and 5 anonymous lurkers. Aren't we popular tonight!
  16. I'm surprised, and just a little bummed, that Takara haven't so much as teased what the next MP is going to be. My hope would be for Megatron, although I have a feeling that was in the pipeline until they saw Apollyon, at which point they returned to the drawing board. I hate to sell Takara short, but I think Apollyon is going to be a tough act to follow, at least aesthetically. In the meantime, waiting...
  17. Preordered mine with NY as well. I'm not too crazy about the nose art, but I can overlook it considering how much improved this version is over Yamato's. Plus, the VB-6 is definitely one of Kawamori-san's coolest designs.
  18. Love the black version, minus the boob guns. Sometimes, I have to wonder what Kawamori was thinking when he added odd design quirks like that, esp when the flaps from the blue and white version look much better, and make it a truer homage to its SR-71 inspiration. Bandai would be smart to hire this guy, or put him under contract to produce mass production kits of his Macross models. I'm not a modeler, as I lack the talent, but I think I'd spring for a few of these if the price was decent and they were made in the same vein as Bandai's Gundam models.
  19. Just received my VF-25S Renewal, and it's a thing of beauty. I could have hugged the delivery girl (I didn't, but I think I probably scared her a little gushing about it whilst signing for it). Anyway, Thanks again to davidwhangchoi for giving me the link, and all the other moral supporters here. I hope all of you have good luck getting yours. Thanks also to Nippon-Yasan...you gouged me on shipping, but I love ya anyways! I'm off to transform my awesome new toy.
  20. MP Prowl is back to $70 on ToysRUs.com. I was hoping to snag a second copy and dec it out w/ Reprolabels. Hopefully, it'll go on sale again.
  21. Finally, I get to join the ranks of the VF-25S owners (almost). Shipped from NY, hopefully will have it by the end of the week or beginning of next. Pretty excited!
  22. Let us know, as I got the same email from them. They claim that the charge is due to the order exceeding 90 days. Shady practice. Good news, though: I got my shipped notification from NY, so I'm breathing an enormous sigh of relief and joy. Thanks to David, for pointing the way, and the others here for the moral support.
  23. David, message received, and I got my order in at NY for about $193. I went with EMS 3-4 day delivery, so the shipping was 4000 yen. A bit steep, but I just want to get the thing. Anyway, thanks much, man. I appreciate it.
  24. Gentlemen, thank you. I'm a bit vexed that, knowing they have no stock with which to fulfill my order, they have not contacted me at all to offer a refund, which would be the accepted and expected professional courtesy. I will contact them and request refund. I appreciate all the feedback, as well as no, "told you so's" from anyone. You guys are a class act, and I am most appreciative.
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