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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    The MSRP is pretty standard for a set this size. While the piece count doesn't quite make the highly favored $.10/piece ratio, one has to consider that there are quite a few large pieces in the set, three unique minifigs, Astro-Kitty with two printed parts, and Benny, who has a unique helmet and torso print, and only appears in two sets. There are also three 2x4 slopes with the Classic Space logo printed on them. Moreover, the final product is a rather large Classic Space inspired ship ( about 18" long) with a number of features and an extending wing function with spring loaded put-your eye-out-from-across-the-room shooters. All this will draw in the kids, but LEGO knows that there are plenty of adults like me who salivate over something like this, fueled by nostalgia, empowered by disposable income, drawn inexorably by a hobbyist's fanatical need to have it...in multiples!
  2. M'Kyuun
    They were only featured on the Galaxy Explorer and the Space Cruiser, which were the two largest ships in the original blue and grey space theme. Given Benny's ship's size, they'd be apropos, but as you said, not essential. They're easy enough to add, if one wants. Not coincidently, a number of parts used for the substructure are black and yellow, with a few yellow and black parts visible externally. I just realized another minor gripe; the little wingtip ships' instrument panels sit at the figures' feet, but the clip parts used to affix the blue cheese slopes offer an excellent but unused opportunity to put some levers there for the figs. I used one of the extras that came with the set, and it worked perfectly. Three more would've provided actual controls for both ships. Actually, the lack of controls, or controls that are far beyond the figure's reach, seems to be a common factor in a lot of sets these days. I've been slowly accumulating Classic sets, and one thing that strikes me in most of them is the abundance of controls, usually both computer and something for the fig to put his hands on. Since my days as a wee lad, that particular detail has always thrilled me, for some reason. Having worked on aircraft, with a knowledge of cockpit layout, the lack of controls in sets always strikes me as a serious minus.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I wish they'd knock off all the MP-10 repaint BS and just reissue him in his regular colors. I missed the boat first time around, and I won't pay the going rate, since there will most likely be a reissue sometime in the future.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Well, LEGO's all about shooting mechanisms now, and the wings extend to reveal a second larger set of shooters. If you were to remove all the mechanisms required to make the wings slide and hard mount the wings permanently extended, then you could build in some walls and a couple cargo doors. The rear would require a bit of redesigning, but it looks feasible to me with very little effect on the rest of the ship. My own inclination, if I was to mod a copy, would be, in addition to a functional cargo section, to make the entire ship forward of the cargo box separate. If the wings are hard mounted in the extended position, there's a nice bit of space aft of Astro-Kitty's section to add some engines. Retractable landing gear would also be a consideration. I'm not sure if I'll ever mod this with real bricks, but once someone adds it to the growing library of official sets in LDD, I may try modding a virtual copy. It'll be fun to play around with. If my virtual mod comes out alright, then I might consider getting another copy and trying it out. Mine's sitting atop my printer, as I've nowhere else big enough to display her. She's a sleek ship; kudos to the designer(s) for getting the sloped look from front to rear just right. About all that's missing are the yellow and black stripes on the wings. As fixes go, that one's easy.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Finally got a copy, and it is beautiful. I agree with everything that's already been said in the reviews. I wish they'd eschewed the extending wings in favor of a cargo compartment with ramp. The aft section has a 10 stud wide interior...lots of room to store whatever, if it was to be modded. My only other gripe is that the Octan and CS logo decals are not shaped like the tail planes, so eyeballing them to make them match takes some time and patience. On such a prevalent piece of Spaceship anatomy, skewed stickers will be noticeable, and I imagine once this is retired, finding a set of Benny's tails with straight stickers will be like discovering gold. I wish the tails had been printed, and the CS and Octan logo decals had been included as extras, since these are probably going to become highly sought and expensive on Bricklink. I'm looking forward to a flurry of CS MOCs using those stickers as livery. I'll probably use them myself on something, once I get a second copy.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Awesome. Good for you! I wish we had a LEGO store here in Spokane. They have two over in Seattle. Anyway, I made the trip to my local TRU on Monday; they had most of the new summer sets, but no Benny's Spaceship. One of the saleswomen even checked the computer for me. I 'm going back this weekend; hopefully they'll have it.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Control panels and things of that nature, which have wide usability, I wish they'd print. I also wish they'd print clear parts...if you screw up a sticker, then you end up with crease lines, dust, bubbles, adhesive lines, etc, which shows through and ruins the look. The more specialized prints I can understand as stickers. I am happy that we get 4 Classic Space stickers with Benny's ship; I'll be scanning them and reproducing them at will. Rufus did a good review over on Eurobricks. I can't wait to get mine.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Nope for me too. I gave Movie cab-over Prime a second's thought, but I'm going to pass. I'm holding out for more Generations and MPs. From what few previews I've seen, this new Bay movie looks like his previous TF films. No thanks.
  9. M'Kyuun
  10. M'Kyuun
    If they had designed the nose to hinge further back on the lower fuselage, the leg swing bar could have been shortened so that the waist attaches in line with the neck, rather than sitting so far forward. Not sure if the way they did it is exactingly according to SK's design, or just a mechanical necessity for whatever reason. Either way, it doesn't look right to me. Even with all the folding going on with the SV-51, Yamato still managed to get everything to line up pretty well. As for the shoulders attaching slightly aft of the neck, I think that actually gives a more aggressive look , so long as it's not too far back. I also like how he designed the shoulders and canards to rotate and overlap. However, the upper chest covering the canopy was better realized on the VF-4. It's a valk, and I want to like it, but there are too many things about the design that, to me, are just off, including the big dispenser. To those who do like it, great!, and I hope the toy is awesome.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Just joined the party and checked out those pics and the video. As someone else mentioned, this shares a lot of torso transformation cues with the VF-4. I'm curious how they get the nose back into fighter position, since it looks like the waist is in the way...it was out of frame just as he was about to maneuver it. I forget who pointed it out, but I agree that the hips sit too far forward in battroid and ruin the alignment, which spoils the whole aesthetic, especially when viewed from the side. On the VF-25 the upper torso should tilt forward so that the hips and the head are in line. I suppose you could do the same with this, but then it'll always look like it's suffering back pain. I haven't really been a fan of this design from the beginning, and seeing the actual toy just cements my opinion. Not one of Kawamori-san's better designs, IMO. However, for those of you who like it and end up getting one or more, I hope it's a great toy and you're satisfied with it. Post enough pics of it in all kinds of dynamic and flattering poses, and I may find myself regretting not getting one.
  12. M'Kyuun
    That Warbotron not-Brawl looks great, head notwithstanding. It's G-1ish enough to make him recognizable, well articulated, and I like what they did with his main gun. I wish this was official Hasbro..these third party toys tend to be expensive for their sizes.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Cool indeed.
  14. M'Kyuun
    I don't hate them. I recognize that Macross is a lesser license to them, and that the Western Hemisphere is not really their market concern. So be it. My Renewal VF-25G w/ Super Packs and my VF-171 Nightmare Plus w/ FAST packs are reasons enough for me to be thankful they're in the Macross market at all.
  15. M'Kyuun
    They are sisters, but have different looks to them. I thought both Noomi and Rooney did justice to Lisbeth's character, with slightly different portrayals. Rooney's seemed a softer take, to me anyway. Both movies went a little overboard trying to make her look freaky, though.
  16. M'Kyuun
    I picked up both Whirl and Rhinox yesterday at TRU. Fortunately, I had a 20% off coupon. Anyway, my Rhinox has a loose hip joint right out of the box...looser than the knees, so he has to be posed very carefully or he'll fall over. Pretty crappy QC. Whirl came with a sticker sheet accounting for nearly all the markings, including the red stripes on the props. Pretty cheap, Hasbro. I did like that one of the stickers has the pilot's name: William S. Hardy, AKA Wild Bill. Overall, both figures are pretty good. I agree that the G1 Whirl's heli mode was better, but this one is close enough for me. The bot mode has some pretty good poseability overall, the feet being the weakest area, followed by those tong hands. Fortunately, Hasbro realized tongs are for steak, and don't do so well with pesky gun grips, so all the weapons plug into the arm or snap onto strategically located snap-points, including the landing skids. Unfortunately, the vulcan cannon that should plug into the heli's nose has a second non-folding handle that extends down well beyond the level of the skids, jacking the nose into the air. It's one of those little details that would have added to fig with only minimal change. Once you apply the stickers(the guide in the instructions suck), and reconcile the weird knees and aforementioned limitations, he's a pretty fun fig to pose , and looks pretty good, IMHO. If you're a Beast Wars fan, I doubt we'll get a much better Rhinox. Overall, they nailed the aesthetics of the character compared to his on-screen appearance. His weapons stow into his Rhino form as well, a practice I wish all TFs shared, esp the MPs. For what we pay for these premium figs, is it too much to ask that the weapons be designed to fold and stow in their alt modes? I digress. The issues I have with my copy are: left leg hip swivel rotates almost freely without any friction. The knees are loose. The left bicep, which collapses slightly inward to hide the bot mode's elbow, slides freely without friction. Pros: looks great in both modes. Decent articulation. His guns spin by pushing a little button, and collapse slightly to stow in beast mode. Overall, I don't regret my purchase, but I do wish Hasbro would step up their QC.
  17. M'Kyuun
    A friend of mine has 3 Magnetizers, 2 copies of all the other M:Tron sets, and a small army of M:Tron figs, plus enough parts to build a fourth Magnetizer if he wanted. I'm pretty happy with my one Magnetizer..I've wanted one for a long time, and recently got it at a good price. I concur it is one of the all-time best sets.
  18. M'Kyuun
    One of LEGO's best sets. I wish they made many more sets in this vein. As an added bonus, there is a sticker on the Viper fighter with the word NNENN with a snake(viper) printed on it. It's a tribute to the late Nate Nielson, an extraordinary and prolific builder who popularized the Vic Viper throughout the adult LEGO fan community. Unfortunately, he was involved in a car accident and passed away. Members of the fan community have continued to keep his Flickr account open, showcasing his many models, as well as holding the Novvember Viper building contest every year as a tribute to his memory and work. As for my own recent LEGO additions, I finally obtained a Mega Core Magnetizer, and I must say it is an impressive set in all respects. I also have a copy of the Blacktron Message Intercept Base coming from the same gentleman. Space aside, I bought my first official Architecture set, the Eiffel Tower. The model is one of the most impressive I've seen in this series, and the box art really sells it...just beautiful. It's a nice little build that captures its subject sublimely, and is unmistakable near or far.
  19. M'Kyuun
    The books were great...Mr. Larsson was a talented writer. The Swedish films were well done, as well as the American version. As is typical with American movies, the sex is toned down to appeal to the Puritan in all of us.
  20. M'Kyuun
    When Transformers stop transforming, then what's the point. as someone else said, if you favor bot mode, go for the eventual Revoltech...at least you'll have a decently sculpted figure with a lot of articulation. If you like the vehicle, buy a model or high end die-cast toy. All of bay's designs from day one have been CG smoke and mirrors. Things like tires, split apart, one half here, the other half there, and so forth. There's no set transformation scheme to any of them, and the very make up of the things makes them unrealistic, unfeasible, magical creatures that morph rather than transforming in the mechanical sense. That's why I wish they'd designed the toys first, ironed out mechanically feasible transformations, and made the on-screen versions closely match the toys. Instead, the toys are huge cheats. Some of the car bots have 8 tires throughout their bot modes, because the tires in the movie break up into sections and end up in different places all over the bot. I'd rather they had gone the Alternators route...at least the cars used for filming could have been altered to actually fit the look of the toys, rather than cheat like hell on an impossible transformation. I really wish Bay had quit this franchise after the first three catastrophes. It is apparent to me that this guy has no knowledge, feel, or attachment to what made the franchise great to begin with. He's in love with his own vision, which to my long time fan's eyes, is merely loud and void of charm, character, dialog (esp the Decepticons, who have no personality in Bay's films and exist as mere 1 dimensional caricatures), or decent plotting. As much as I like a lot of the actors in the upcoming movie, it is the eponymous characters that I want to see, with Megatron artfully, brilliantly creating a scheme, sending out his Decepticon troops, who actually talk to each other and make whatever observations , snide comments, or personality indicative motions requisite to their characters, while Prime and crew concern themselves with figuring out Megs' plan and stopping him, with a little bit of help from the humans. Moreover, Prime is closer to Megatron's personality in Bay's movies, rushing in to kill them all indiscriminately. I simply find the live action movies to be soulless, frustrating, unlikeable parodies made by an arrogant former car commercial director with absolutely no connection to his subject matter. Wow, sorry for the rant. I usually try to stay positive, but I feel this time around we're getting a double-whammy, where the toys and their inspiration will be composed of the same brand of suck.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Great work, Herve. Those fighters bear a resemblance to the VF-4, minus the shoulders and legs.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Always amusing to me when someone on the boards buys one of these expensive high end transformable toys, and then never transforms it. For those fighter mode guys, I think I'd be more inclined to save a little change and buy a high grade model. I own about 20 valks, going all the way back to Yamato's 1/72 clunkers, and I've transformed them all, because that's what they're meant to do, and b/c I love transforming toys. To not transform it is like buying a high performance car and leaving it permanently parked. Defeats the purpose of owning the thing, IMHO. So Scyla, when you get your SDF-1, I hope you'll share some pics...in both modes. Otherwise, you're only enjoying half the toy, and for the ducats you'll drop on this thing, you need to at least re-enact the Daedalus Attack and do some imaginary pin point barrier action.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I know it's heresy on these boards, but I never thought the SDF-1 design was all that great. I like it in the show more for its role, its impressive size, and its capabilities, but as a transformable mech, I think it leaves a bit to be desired. I like the Quarter a little better, if only for its more pleasing aesthetics. As for wishes, I'd be interested in a Variable Glaug, a new YF-21 with improved battroid, the Octos, and a VF-2ss. I know the last one is pure mist and wish dust, but I'd love to see their take on the design. I'd just love to see anybody produce a procurable transforming toy or model of the BG-5C Fatman. Cool design looking at the art, but transformation of the waist and legs looks a little magical. Maybe someone from Experten is reading this....
  24. M'Kyuun
    Sorry, Star Saber doesn't do anything for me. I wouldn't mind MP Cyclonus, though.
  25. M'Kyuun
    For whatever reason, I can't edit my previous post. Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly that the ground mecha are in need of the triple mode treatment. A tank is a good alt choice, esp since there aren't many ground attack vehicles in Macross.
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