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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I've never really stopped collecting Transformers, but there were a number of years when the toys just didn't tickle my fancy (Looking at you, Unicron Trilogy). The Classics line, and every incarnation thereafter, have been a boon to my desire to collect these toys. I'm a G-Oner at heart, and those characters will always remain with me as the core of Transformers. That doesn't mean I'm against taking the franchise in other directions; I loved Animated and Prime both, actually more than the second season and beyond of the G1 cartoon. I have no tolerance for the live-action movies, but I thought the toys from the first three movies were incredible little feats of engineering, and I own a lot of them. I wish and hope some of that complexity will find its way back into the Generations line. I've not watched any of the RiD cartoon, but I've bought 6 figures from that line, and will probably pick up the upcoming Windblade ( which looks better than the CHUG version, IMO) and Skorponok (both modes look amazing to me). They are just simply fun toys. The Headmaster gimmick is one that makes me scratch my head; it's so bloody impractical. Even if you could separate your head and live, why would you want to? I realize it was a marketing tool, but even as a kid, I thought it was pretty dumb. That said...I'm diggin' Galvatron, Blaster, Blurr, PM Prime (who were not actually Headmasters til now ), and perhaps an actual HM or two. Has/Tak have really done a great job with the sculpts on these figs, and nostalgia has me within its tenacious grip. I'm tentatively curious about the new 'device' figs, which have replaced the cassettes of yore. (Sometimes, in certain circumstances, progress is a downer. I love the cassettes figs, and have been hoping the rest of the cassettes would get the MP treatment, but in a mainline targeting kids, cassettes have sadly lost their relevance.) Thus far, I think what they're doing is a good compromise, although maintaining the cassette aesthetic in bot mode is kinda silly; just make them their own characters. Anyway, as for the new Astrotrain, I think making him a leader class fig is right scale-wise...a shuttle and a train both should be huge next to a car. But, judging from the Sentinel toy, both alts are going to be anything but Earth accurate, which is a bummer. A big G-1ish Astrotrain would be great, and even greater if they could go the extra mile to make his cargo doors open in shuttle mode, but I'm dreaming now. At any rate, I think Astro's gonna be a bust for me, and so I'll keep hoping that a more G1 inspired version will come along in the future. Blaster, OTOH, looks amazing to me, and I'm not even that interested in Blaster. Nostalgia, man. It's gotta be analogous to cigarette smoke to an ex-smoker. Draws you in and takes over your gray cells. Good call on remaking a potential Kickback into Ransack. ATTN: Hasbro. This! City and base formers have never really floated my boat, but seeing that side-by-side comparison of FM is pretty impressive, as well as seeing PM Prime only coming to his knee. Really puts the size of this thing into perspective. Pretty neat. Jury's out on Alpha Trion. Like you, I'll wait and see what the toy looks like in all its modes before I make a decision. From what I'm seeing now, my interest is very low, but I thought the same thing about leader class Megatron. I still think his legs could have been improved, but he makes a nice looking tank, and rolling treads FTW! No regrets.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Just saw it with the wife- lots of laughs, and some amazing action. This is Deadpool as he should be, and I'm so glad they didn't water it down for a PG-13 rating. The plot was thin, but I agree that the love story was presented brilliantly, and it was an excellent introduction to the eponymous character. Colossus gets well deserved mention as well. The trailers had me thinking this was going to be super-cheesy and forced, but based on comments here, I decided to give it a watch anyway. The theatre was packed (1130 Sunday mornings are usually dead around here), and packed yesterday as well (did a drive by, saw all the cars, and decided to go this morning when it would be less busy- joke was on me), but we got in ok and from beginning to end, it was just funny as hell. If you liked Kickass, you'll likely enjoy this too.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Just a few pics being dwarfed by Fortress Maximus are all I've seen. If you have CW Ultra Magnus, then you have a good idea of what to expect. Powermaster Prime will be a little more involved due to a number of folding panels on his legs. Should be a good fig. I'm bummed that they still haven't made Kickback. I'm pretty impressed at all the G1 figs being made, and at how well they homage the original toys. Wheelie is an annoying character, but that new figure looks awesome. Blurr also looks good, and they nailed his Cybertronian floaty-car mode. I was never into the Headmasters, but looking at all these upcoming figures, my nostalgia runneth over. It brings back clear memories of looking at those old fold-out toy brochures that came with boxed figures in the 80's. These are the toys I wish we'd been getting back then, instead of the bricks we actually got. It's taken a long time, but I'm glad to see all those old toys being given the modern treatment. I hope there are a few parents out there who still have their old TFs to show their kids, just to give them a sense of appreciation for how far toy design has come compared to when we were kids. It'd be great if Hasbro did a presentation on their site showing a side-by-side comparison of a number of 80's TFs and their modern equivalents. Reading through their opening statements, I find it very interesting that Hasbro is now taking the adult collector market much more seriously, to include making up 30% of their TF consumer market (I'll bet it's higher than that), and creating a four-tier classification of fans, the last two which are predominantly the teen and adult market. Moreover, they are bringing back the Generations line, which is also targeted at the adult collector. They are also looking for more fan input which will directly influence upcoming TF products. IMO, Hasbro is moving in a positive direction with this franchise, and I'm hopeful to see this line continue until I'm old and gray. Now they just need to find a market for the MP line here in the US.
  4. M'Kyuun
    From earlier pics of TR Sentinel Prime, I'm guessing that he and Astrotrain's alts are Cybertronian. That's fine for Sentinel, but I really wish they'd given Astrotrain Earth alt modes instead. I didn't care for either alt, based on the Sentinel pics. Kinda sucks, as I skipped the CHUG Astrotrain, and I've been hoping they'd eventually redo him. Now they have, but like the earlier CHUG, this one just doesn't look good to me. I grew up watching the G1 cartoon, and IIRC, Alpha wasn't that big, nor a triple changer. Guess in his mid-millennial crisis, ol' Alpha got an overhaul and got himself a gym membership. Out of curiosity, are Sentinel Prime and Alpha Trion based on IDW designs? I don't follow the comics, but I'm aware that Has/Tak have been borrowing character designs from them over the last few years. Just wondering.
  5. M'Kyuun
    As soon as you said Silverbolt remold, any desire to get the full Computron combiner dissipated. Perhaps Macross and a smattering of decent jet-formers have spoiled me, but I've become increasingly intolerant of robot-under-a-jet designs. It's so incredibly lazy, and not much a transformer as a fold-away bot with an aircraft for a backpack. After 30+ years of experience designing these things, I expect better from Takara, and Hasbro by extension. i was comparing my Hasbro Springer to Sprung, and I noticed they left the chest green on Sprung. That yellow chest is iconic to the character, so I'm surprised it's green. They made the fore-fenders yellow. Odd, esp given Takara's penchant for mirroring the animation rather slavishly. Looking forward to seeing all the new 2016 TFs at Toyfair this weekend (I'll be following the coverage at TFW2005 and anywhere else I find on the net). I hope there's a new Legends Kickback to finish off the Insecticons. The other two figs are excellent.
  6. M'Kyuun
    With NY Toy Fair coming up this weekend, perhaps there will be some Year One toys on display. I'm still bummed that the Voltron Force toys were never released...I loved the look of both the individual lions, and their Voltron form.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Looks awesome; Ravage has always been my favorite cassette. I really wish they could have put this kind of engineering into MP ravage, but at that small size, it'd be horribly fragile. I wouldn't mind owning this, but it's a bit pricey.
  8. M'Kyuun
    As I barely remember Computron from the old cartoon (IIRC, after Grimlock became super intelligent, he passed that intelligence to Computron), my interest was pretty low; however, the Technobots had some interesting vehicle modes, and I'm curious to see the how the figures turn out, esp Afterburner (I like transforming motorcycles, but I'm not a bike guy at all...go figure). Actually the prospect of Afterburner getting his own mold is the primary draw for me. Lightspeed, as well, if he turns out looking cool. Nosecone looks to be another lazy reuse of a mold, merely substituting Brawl's turret with a drill...it doesn't look good to me at all.
  9. M'Kyuun
    I have the Hasbro Springer release, and IMO, he's one of the best executed triple changers. I think you'll like him. A proper triple changing G1- esque Springer was missing from the CHUG lineup, so I was really happy when this figure came out. A new Blitzwing was also on my want list, but that fig, unfortunately, wasn't as well executed. Anyway, between the Combaticons, a car, a pickup, and a jet, you'll basically have a sample of every CW mold. They're all very simplistic, but fun. They feel like toys from the early to mid-90's when ball joints were first coming to the fore as mainstay joints in TFs. I have the Jhiaxus version of the Armada Starscream mold, and it's a nice figure, with good poseability, and a nice slim jet mode, due to the legs turning sideways to form the rear of the jet. It also has retracting mains and nose gear, and, on Jhiaxus, his wings are molded to tab and slot in his dual pistols, eliminating the need to make corrections every time he's bumped. The nitpicks I have are that, b/c the knees are facing aft in jet mode, he has no engines or engine detail where a jet normally would have them (instead, he has those enormous dorsal engines), and his arms just lay alongside the fuselage, although they do tab into the wings. It's lazy, but both of these are very minor gripes, and overall I think he's a well done Deluxe scale jetformer. I have to admit, that red and blue deco looks great on Super SS..
  10. M'Kyuun
    This movie looks like a riot. Copley's accent and manner alone are great, but the whole 1P shooter view and over-the-top violence sell it. Def a must-see.
  11. M'Kyuun
    British...yeah, he has a pleasant accent, thankfully not Cockney. Watch Snatch or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels for your fill of Cockney, or anything with Michael Caine. There's a Scotsman who does reviews as well (forget his username)...can't remember now if he reviews TFs or LEGO. I watch a lot of reviews for both. Anyway, Peaugh does a good job, and usually isn't shy about pointing out something that he feels isn't right, or could have been improved. Overall, though, he always comes across as a nice guy, sincere and passionate about his hobby. A-hole reviewers aren't worth my attention. I wish all these Takara releases were coming out closer together: I have TAV Thunderhoof, MP Shockwave, UW Bruticus, and MP Ratchet all preordered through HLJ, but I'm not sure if there'll be enough bleedover time in PW to even use the benefit of combined shipping. It's tough living in a first world country. Well, since I've taken the plunge for Bruticus, I guess I need to start looking at 3P options for better feet and hands. I'll likely go with PE. Any other suggestions are welcome, though.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Thanks, just preordered him.
  13. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    I mis-spoke. The head within the hood can rotate a bit, but it's field of view is hindered by the hood. I was always under the impression that it alleviated that limitation by virtue of the other optical sensors arrayed around the primary red lens. I can't recall ever seeing the head and hood rotate as a unit in the animation, but it's been awhile since I've watched it. If the 262 ends up having a hoodie, I hope the whole unit can rotate freely without obstruction.
  14. M'Kyuun

    Bandai DX VF-31

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

    Davidwhangchoi, you can put me down for the VF-31F.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I've never heard of Bobby Skullface, and apparently ignorance truly is bliss in this instance. Peaugh is usually my go-to reviewer...he's pretty fair in his opinions, and has a pleasant manner about him. Emgo's alright, too. I've watched Vangelus here and there...he tries way too hard to be funny, but his reviews are fair. No mention of Optibotimus? Or, Sean Long? I'm usually put off by overly critical reviews, or ones where they toss the box and other items offscreen instead of just setting them aside. Just b/c you're reviewing a toy doesn't mean you need manifest a 7 year old mentality in the way you handle the various items. It's simply bad form. Back to TFs, I really wish Takara had eschewed those terribly inadequate hand/foot/weapon parts in lieu of proper hands and feet that are scaled to the combined figures. I realize there are 3P products, but my point is, there shouldn't be a need. I understand why Hasbro goes with them, since, despite overwhelming evidence that alot of adults buy these toys, their firm marketing focus is on kids 5-12. Takara seems to recognize a more discerning audience for their products, hence numerous enhancements, better paint apps, additional whole figs to ensure toon accuracy, etc. Given that mindset, I'm surprised they didn't make proper hands and feet for their Unite Warriors line. It's a badly beaten dead horse, but holy crap do I hate those shamefuly sh!tty uni-appendages with a passion. Anyway, I'm waiting for HLJ to open preorders for UW Bruticus. I've never been a huge fan of combiners, but Bruticus, and Devastator, of course, always struck a chord with me. I didn't care for how most of the individual Constructicons for either version of Devy turned out, but Bruticus is looking pretty good to me.
  16. M'Kyuun
    After seeing that last trailer, Affleck is no longer my concern for this film. Not sure if Snyder is trying to be ironic with casting Eisenberg as Luthor, as he's pretty much 180 deg from how I picture the character. The Superman Animated series, and subsequent animated series and movies as well, have done a great job portraying the character as a strong intelligent, arrogant, and highly capable businessman and villain. Someone said 'clownish' earlier to describe Eisenberg's portrayal, and I couldn't agree more. There's nothing imposing or threatening about this guy, no reason to take him seriously. It's more like Man of Steel vs Dark Knight vs Scrawny Uber-Nerdling Grand Poobah of the High School Chess Club. Again, I have to wonder if the choice was ironic, that the dorky behavior and unimposing stature are inversely proportional to the level of evil he's capable of. Even so, I think it was a misstep. Even if he does manage to come across as somewhat evil, if I was Superman, I'd flick his dorky little annoying ass into orbit, like a big booger. Or just give him the Zod treatment.
  17. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    That makes 3 of us. At least the VF-14 can turn its head; the 21/22 variants, not so much. It's a poor design choice, esp on a highly maneuverable combat mech. Kawamori's awesome, but sometimes he allows aesthetics to interfere with practicality in his designs. I forgive him, though. I haven't seen the aforementioned fan depiction of the 262's battroid, but I have to agree that, except for the Sv-51, which has a bit of a cowled head, albeit a highly posable one, I'd prefer a more standard noggin on my mecha.
  18. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    Tough crowd here for the VF-14 (which I would love to see in 1/60 scale fig). I like your idea for the GERWALK...make it unique. I doubt that'll be the case, though. While Space Popes don't bother me as much as some, I hope it just has a standard head. More and more, I find myself hoping for a chunky battroid...it'd be a noticeable change from all the lanky Frontier valks.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Long chest aside, I just don't care for Hot Rod's overall bot mode. To my eyes, he would have been much improved if they'd shortened that hood just a little and maybe left the fenders out to give him a curved 'V' shape to his chest. But then his waist would look too small, so that's probably why they went with the long straight hood. His car mode is nice. TF Animated Hot Rod still has the best looking car mode among the various incarnations, IMHO. Kubalsky did a great job translating the art into toy form. He has big hood, skinny waist and leg syndrome, too, but he still looks better to me than MP HR.
  20. M'Kyuun

    Bandai DX VF-31

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

    VF-31F, A, and possibly the J are looking pretty good to me. Love the colors on the F, and I'd like the A just to have the wing variation, although it's color scheme is looking pretty good so far. Hopefully I'll be able to score these after the initial preorder madness.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Huh, y'know, I didn't even notice that VF-1 outline until I read your post. I'm kinda VF-1'd out, but it'd be really cool if they made one where the various panels were removable to allow highly detailed inner mechanical workings to be revealed. It'd be prohibitively expensive for me personally, but somewhere someboby would buy one and hopefully post a couple hundred pics of the thing on Flickr for poor schlubs like me to drool over. Vicarious toy enjoyment and I are old pals.
  22. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    Oh, I'm sure he had that figured out before or during his design phase. He builds sketch models of most of his designs with LEGO to test transformation, and I'm sure this case is no different. Besides, he'd have to let Bandai know how the transformation works, for obvious reasons. Pretty sure all this secrecy is to build anticipation and hype, but he must have the same people who keep the Roswell wreckage and the official Kennedy assassination files under above top-secret protection to have kept leaks from occurring thus far. Those Chinese factory workers are notorious for letting the cat out of the bag for any number of toys. Given all this secrecy, though, alot of speculation and anticipation are growing around this thing, which is a setup for potential disappointment should it not be what fans have built up in their minds. There's always a danger to artificially creating anticipation... Personally, I hope it's unique enough to set it apart from the other valks, but still nice looking (no more fugly VA-3 Invaders, thank you), and still recognizable as a Macross variable fighter.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Ooh, that E=X Garland looks nice. I hope they do a Proto-Garland, too. And, I really hope I can afford at least one of these when they finally release.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Very cool stuff; thanks for sharing. I like how he frames everyday events across a spectrum in such a way that the sci-fi elements, which are portrayed beautifully, if somewhat disturbingly in some paintings, that their presence is downplayed, often seeming commonplace. It's a unique take, executed well.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Takara posted a video featuring an unpainted proto of Optimus Primal. From the front he looks pretty decent, but his robot thighs are clearly visible from behind, and the robot feet are also quite noticeable, moreso, in fact, than the original Voyager fig, which hid the robot feet via transformation. Here's the link: http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/best-look-at-mp-31-beast-convoy-optimus-primal-in-new-video-and-still-images/34669/ Honestly, I expected better from Takara on a Masterpiece figure. Robot parts showing in a CHUG voyager or even leader class fig would be tolerable; people would still raise holy hell over it, but at those price points, it wouldn't be surprising. I'm surprised they couldn't find a solution to fix that, even if they just made a two sided rotating panel ensconced within the thigh...something, anything besides doing nothing. Disappointing.
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