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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Likewise. I want K.I.T.T. , Airwolf, and Blue Thunder. Maybe a Viper from BSG, or a small shuttle from V.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Aw man, sorry to hear. It would've been nice to meet another fellow MWer. Hopefully next year. Thanks for the well-wishing; it's always fun!😁
  3. M'Kyuun
    It's so mine. Fortunately, I'll be in Seattle for a LEGO convention next weekend, conveniently close to a LEGO store. I hope they still have them in stock by the time I arrive.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, I'm familiar with the Mirage/Jazz debate, but I consider pretty much everything live-action to be apart from any of the animation given the amount of license taken with all aspects of the bots. Respectively, the same can pretty much be said for each animated show as well, although there seems to be a bit more G1 carryover amidst the animated shows. Anyway, that aspect doesn't bother me. The similarities of RotB from the trailers to Bay's films, OTOH, just turn my stomach.
  5. M'Kyuun
    One can hope. As I said, I really like it, too, and I'd have to give some thought to committing the ducats, but it sure is a purdy bird that would look reeeaaaallllly nice somewhere in my house. 😁
  6. M'Kyuun
    RotB is probably the first TF film or show where I didn't buy a single figure. The designs just didn't grab me, and I had very low enthusiasm for the film leading up to release. I wish Travis Knight had made a sequel to Bumblebee; of the three directors who've now done live-action, he's the only one who's come closest to capturing the essence of what Transformers means to me, although I think the film was hindered by its attachment to the Bay films. I'll be happy when that attachment is permanently severed, although I have apprehension about where the live-action franchise may go thereafter. As much as I hate to think it, it can always get worse, although Bay did a fine job of making it downright abysmal already. Full disclosure, I've not seen RotB; I'm judging it on trailers and snippets I've seen, which frankly didn't inspire much desire to see more. Additionally, I'm a fan of neither Anthony Ramos nor Pete Davidson, and knowing that a fair chunk of the beginning of the film revolves around Ramos' character development and that the main TF sidekick character, Mirage, is voiced by Davidson leaves me cold. If it comes to Netflix, Prime, or Hulu, I may give it a watch out of morbid curiosity, but I'll definitely go in with expectations off-scale low and a likely desire to stop watching before I get too far in. Paraphrasing Han Solo, I just have a bad feeling about it.
  7. M'Kyuun
    So, I stand mostly humbly corrected. I speak, of course, from a Western POV, having not returned to Japan, or Okinawa more specifically, since the early 90s predating both Plus and 7. My entire experience with both is colored by my isolation from Japanese society and culture, not to mention my lack of research before speaking my perceptions. Apologies aplenty. Again, I own my mistaken perception. I love Plus; it was in a significant way my doorway to both Macross and a broader appreciation of anime in the mid-90s. It also resonates with me due to its parallels to the real-world competition several years before of the YF-22 and YF-23, of which I've oft opined that the Air Force chose the wrong plane. More than that, though, the grittiness, the sci-fi elements, and the maturity of M+'s various story elements have always held a fascination for me. Plus remains one of if not my favorite anime to this day, so powerfully does it speak to me. One wonders, or at least I do, how Seven could possibly be more popular than either the original SDF:M or Plus, but apparently their opinions are colored by different factors than those in the West. As far as questionable water goes, Fukushima Daiichi was years down the road, so we can't blame radiated seafood. 😄 Again, different cultures with different standards and influences. I never realized how closely the two series released, but given the dates on the lineart in Kawamori's Macross Design Works, and given the evolutionary nature of the M+ designs from Plus to Seven, I always assumed that Plus was first followed by Seven. I first watched M+ back in '95 and didn't see M7 until about a year or so ago, but the difference in tone and maturity are jarring for two such closely related series. I, too, like the VF-19A paint scheme. If they did release it, though, I'm not sure if I'd get it, as Arcadia's prices are pretty high these days, and my space is really limited. It'd be one of those deals where I stare at it a lot and finally make a decision. Just the opposite; I love 'em, especially the 19.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Um, my perception has always been that M7 wasn't very popular within the whole of the franchise. The valk designs, like the VF-19, VF-22 and VF-17, however, seem to have risen above the general disdain I've perceived over the years towards the animation. FWIW, I thought M7 was ok, although I didn't care for Basara all that much, and I wasn't crazy about the domestic separation between Max and Milia, two characters who were essentially made for each other. Gamlin was ok. Ray was probably my favorite character, along with Mylene, Max and Milia. Of the Protodevlin, only Sivil stood out to me as an interesting or memorable villain. Not the best series, especially when compared with the original SDF:M, Macross Plus, Frontier, and Zero. Delta and M7 I kinda lump together as the 'lessers' of the franchise. 😄
  9. M'Kyuun
    My copy of Origins Jazz finally came yesterday. I was starting to think maybe Target cancelled yet another of my orders ( still irritated that they canxed my ER Thrust order- I didn't see the renewal email until it was too late). Anyway, he's a bit more shellformery than I thought he'd be, but still a neat addition to the collection. Bring on Wheeljack; hopefully they make him a voyager or even a leader and somehow figure out a way to put Origin Bee in the back to reenact those opening scenes to More than Meets the Eye Pt 1. Otherwise, what's the point? Was late to the PO party on Pulse, though I did manage to get Magnus. I went to TFSource for SS86 Ratchet and Frenzy, but at least I got 'em POed. Peace of mind.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Bruce Timm invented Harley Quinn, but it took someone special to voice her and give her personality, and Arleen certainly succeeded in spades. That the character became hugely popular and a mainstay villain in the Batman Rogue's Gallery to this day and surely for many more years to come is a testament to her talent and ability to project the gamut of human emotions, not to mention that cute NY accent, and her quirky sense of humor through this flawed but loveable psychopathic psychiatrist. Arleen Sorkin may not have graced marquees like Michelle Pfeiffer or Julia Roberts, but for those of us watching B:TAS back in the 90s, she was every bit the star for breathing glorious life into the woman who loved the Joker. RIP
  11. M'Kyuun
    True, but not if too many fans skip it in hopes of a later Macross Plus game B series color scheme. Personally, I think they should have led with the 5000B and then moved on to the G, as I think it's generally more broadly appealing than the teal, white, and yellow. However, I think the mold itself looks really good- definitely a want for the shelf. I may just suck it up and get the G if only to help sales with the hopes of a later M+ B release. I'm trying to convince myself of its uniqueness amidst the majority of mostly white valks in my collection. A little diversity is good, even if I find it a little cringeworthy. Unfortunately, this is the final model. Kawamori is known for revisiting certain designs, like the Destroid Monster or the Glaug, not to mention umpteen variants of the VF-1 and VF-25 and their associated armor & booster packs. This is definitely one that could stand some refinement, if only to better integrate those legs into the airframe. I'd love to see it and the VA-3 Invader revisited to refine their looks. The VA-3 is an interesting and unique valk, but my goodness is it ugly, especially that poor battroid mode. My heart breaks for it.💔
  12. M'Kyuun
    For sure it'd be sizeable. That said, I'm not crazy about the design; it's downright lazy compared to the majority of Kawamori's other variable designs where he does an admirable job of integrating the bot bits seamlessly into the vehicle mode such that, unless you know, you won't know it transforms. I love that he chose to make a valk version of the B-2 Spirit, but the execution leaves me feeling quite underwhelmed. Don Figueroa's flying wing Megatron design, and Hasbro's subsequent toy, was better executed, which is the polar opposite of what I expect from Kawamori-san and Hasbro, whose track record with aircraft, especially jets, is abysmal at best. However, this stands as one of their better efforts: Don Figueroa's art Hasbro's figure As opposed to this, with its obvious legs just hanging out back. Def a step down in design quality from stuff like the VF-1, YF-19, VB-6 and even the Variable Glaug.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I can understand wanting to move on, but the niggles I have with the Yamato YF-21 were such that I don't even display it anymore, and with two beautiful YF-19s on the shelf without Isamu's friend and rival standing by, I'd very much like to see one or both companies put out a YF-21 with better battroid proportions than the old Yamato. So far as other valks needing toys, the VF-9 Cutlass, the Variable Glaug, and the VF-14 Vampire top my list, as well as a VF-5000B in the Macross Plus game color scheme. The teal, yellow and white of the VF-5000G is utterly repugnant. 🤢 These colors, though, accentuate the beauty of the valk's design in both modes- just lovely. I hope Arcadia releases it.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Alas, the risk is real, and in this instance, very close to catastrophe. If they're going to insist on flying these older or unreliable airframes, perhaps they should create a separate venue to do so in select unpopulated areas around the country, with appropriate hardened viewing areas for the viewers just in case of emergency. Once those pilots bail, or lose control of the aircraft, it's anybody's guess where they're going to come down. I love aviation as much as anybody (I worked on planes for 15 of my 20 years in the Air Force), but incidents like this make me question whether the risk is worth the pleasure of seeing these old birds fly. I live near both an Air Force base and an international airport, and there's a crash zone very near to where I live, not to mention I see military aircraft flying over my house on a nigh daily basis, so the risk is literally above me all the time. But at least I know the 50+ year old tankers flying over me are maintained 24-7 and have a very high reliability rate. The same can't be said for personal aircraft, especially those of foreign make. All flight is risky until we conquer gravity, but some risk is far more manageable than others, and with the seeming increase in crashes of privately owned vintage and foreign planes, perhaps there needs to be some heightened standards or tighter regulations/inspection criteria before these planes can be certified safe for flight.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Did some reading up. It was a MiG-23 Flogger privately owned and operated by a former Navy A-6 pilot w/ 200 carrier landings to his credit. The pilot, Dan Filer, makes his living as a United Airlines pilot, so this is a fellow with remarkable experience. I think his intent was to ditch the plane in the water, but while he and his co landed in the water, the plane went on to crash uncomfortably close to an apartment complex. I'm glad that no one got hurt, but the loss of the MiG, a rarity on these shores, is lamentable. Perhaps some of these older planes are better served as museum pieces rather than ending up as smoking wreckage.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Appalled by the guy at approx 50 seconds in who thinks the crew bailed out on purpose as part of the show. When two chutes come out of a fighter, who does he think is flying it? The girl in the vid telling him the plane's crashing is far more astute regarding what's happening. Anyway, sucks that they had to ditch the plane, and I hope no one on the ground was hurt.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Well, let's be honest; there aren't a lot of options when it comes to Macross toys. Either you accept what's proffered, warts and all, or you pass with the likelihood that another toy of a particular valk may not come about for another decade, if that. We're spoiled in the Transformers fandom largely in part because of third party makers providing numerous options beyond official releases, but we don't really have that luxury in Macross. I wish, but we don't. With a dearth of options, is it any wonder that, despite the complaints, many of us still buy what's on offer? I wonder if it's a matter of Big West's not wanting to spread the license to too many companies, or that no other companies have an interest in producing Macross toys. Or between Arcadia and Bandai, they've agreed to lock the license between them. IDK, but I'd be down with companies like Sentinel, Takara, or 3Ps like MMC or Fans Toys doling out some Macross goodness. There are still so many cool valk designs that need to be realized in toy form that may never see fruition, and, in such a niche franchise, that's sadder to me than a realized toy with a few flaws.
  18. M'Kyuun
    As a fellow vintage set buyer (Classic Space themes for me), getting these large sets for under $200 these days is a pretty good deal. Sucks that the figs aren't included, as they will cost a fair bit to acquire as well. Vintage LEGO is very much a collector's game these days, and unfortunately, commands some hefty prices considering the piece counts, limited palette of the time, and more simplistic (and sometimes illegal) building techniques employed. But they have their charm, and I guess that's what keeps us engaged, along with the nostalgic factor.
  19. M'Kyuun
    I totally agree with your first sentence. As a fan who favors battroid, the skinny legs were off-putting, not to mention the floppy hip joints. If Arcadia tweaked the design to feature more proportional legs with a potentially slightly chunkier back end to the fighter mode, that would be a must-buy. I do not, however, under any circumstances, want a parts-former. Both Bandai and Arcadia have proven that they have the ingenuity and talent to make this work as a fully transformable toy. At the prices these toys command, I neither want nor expect less. Regarding the shortened belly plates on the Bandai model, I actually prefer that over the long ones on the Yamato, which never stayed in place and always seemed to be in the way, obscuring the legs when trying to put them in a pose that would actually hold the damn thing upright. Honestly, I just straight-up hate the belly plates. I've always wondered, given the size and shape of the legs, why Kawamori didn't integrate them better or work in some sort of transformation to flatten them out more in fighter instead of turning the thing into a shell-former. It seems a bit lazy, especially for a guy who generally does an impressive job of integrating bot bits rather seamlessly into the flight modes. Not only did he cheat the leg size in his art, but he employed a rather cheap technique to cover them up. I'm hoping both Bandai and Arcadia find good work-arounds although at this point, I guess we pretty much know what we're getting from Bandai. It's too thick front to back and the arms are bit smallish and short, but it still looks pretty good to me, good enough for a purchase.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I hope all of this is true. It's highly lamentable that the CMFs are going to be in boxes henceforth, as it'll make feeling out the ones you want impossible. Fortunately, I'm now privileged to have a new and second-hand LEGO store in town, so there's a chance they may get the figs out of box to sell without the hassle. Anyway, more CS throwbacks are always welcome, and I very much liked the direction they took with the 2019 City Space sets, especially 60228 and 60229, both of which were excellent. More of the same, or even going a step more sci-fi is alright by me. Shameless plug; BrickCon is happening Sept 9-10 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. If you're in the area and you enjoy looking at lots of incredible custom LEGO creations by adults running the gamut from pop-culture, art, sci-fi, fantasy, battle, castle, Technic, battle bots, great ball contraptions, & more, I highly recommend bringing the kids and spending the afternoon with us.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, I believe that to be the case as well. It was an easy scapegoat to distract from the actual gearing deficiencies noted by several online reviewers who'd received early copies. I hold the LEGO Group in high esteem, but in this instance, I think they took the low road instead of just admitting there was an inherent issue with the set and redesigning it for wide release. I love the Osprey and was quite excited for the set's release; I was subsequently dismayed and disappointed when the cancellation and BS reason for doing so came about. After all, they gave us this gem. It may not be an exact replica, but the inspiration is pretty clear. Alas, what's done is done. I'm envious of the few lucky folks who were given the sets by LEGO. It naught but an investment for them now.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I wonder if LEGO's 10302 Optimus Prime, which was directly based on the G1 toy but with some minor additional articulation, was the inspiration for Takara to do this? As both a LEGO and Transformers fan, I think that'd be a great full-circle story. Given that Takara is unfettered by our draconian toy gun laws, I hope they give G1 Megs the same treatment. I've never owned a G1 Megs, but the prospect of owning a fully articulated version of that toy is honestly more appealing to me than Missing Link Prime. I definitely hope they move into doing the carbots and the Seeker jets, as I'd love to have G1 Prowl fully articulated as well as at least one of the jets with the same transformation minus the parts-forming fists. My interest in the G1 toys waned during the G1 period due to their lack of articulation, but this line sparks a bit of interest for me if only b/c I used to daydream about what it'd be like if those toys had at least minimal articulation in the legs. Curious to see where it goes.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I get your frustration with naysayers, but everyone's entitled to their opinion, whether or not we agree with them. Relax...it'll be ok. 😀 I'm on your side of the argument; I've been a fan of Bandai's design since it was first revealed back in 2019. I have a complaint or two, but nothing so dire as to turn me off to a purchase when and if it becomes available. I'm also open to Arcadia's revisiting the nigh-perfect Yamato YF-21, tweaking the legs to look more proportionally 'correct' relative to the rest of the valk and Kawamori's line art, which is The Canon, and always my go-to for reference. It's a tough valk to do, especially since Kawamori employed a greater than usual share of animation magic in its design, much, I'm sure, to the frustration of toy companies. That Yamato's, and now Bandai's, designs are as good as they are is a testament to the talent and ingenuity of said companies and garage kit designers who've also done the design justice in previous years. Anyway, fandoms are spoiled these days, even in a niche fandom like Macross where physical toys are a rarity. Plus, humans love to complain about everything. I take it in stride and judge for myself the merits of the offerings on-hand, as well as the merits of the complaints being levied, and try to arrive at a judicious decision. It has worked out pretty well so far. Cheers!
  24. M'Kyuun
    Second that recommendation. Mine came on Monday, and I remain impressed by both the engineering and the unparalleled realism in truck mode. While a cabover truck mode is my preference for Prime, I like the shorter nose of this truck over the longer nosed trucks from the Bay films. The transformation is mildly complex and clever. Truth be told, I didn't even notice the missing paint apps that Mike pointed out (I see them, now), but my negative observations are that the lower legs look too skinny (the blue section is the same width as the thighs, and just looks off to me) and it would have been cool had the top half of the cabin collapsed into the lower half so he doesn't look like he has massive cankles from the rear. Overall, though, a solid figure. The more I see of this guy, the more I start getting the itch. Very hopeful to see some of the other carbots, specifically Prowl, whose toy suffered irreparable damage when I attempted surgery to give him articulated hips when I was a kid. Prowl was my first Transformer toy, and to have that toy back again with the articulation I imagined and wanted to give him would be wonderful. This pic of Missing Link Prime striking the OG toy's box art pose is pretty cool. I'm glad TT are doing these on their own; I think they'd fall short under Hasbro and their extremely restrictive budget constraints.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Yep, it's a recent update. He also updated his Steeljaw, which I also have on order. I passed on his first iterations, as they just didn't look that great and allegedly had numerous quality issues. In hand, I'm pretty impressed with his new version of Ramhorn- joints are all pretty well toleranced, the transformation is unique and fairly complex for such a small fig, and I love how the rhino mode looks, prominent rivets notwithstanding. Looking forward to getting Ironpaw 2.0 in hand. I hope he updates his dino cassette designs, too. I have yet to own a single dino cassette and if he can update them as well as he did these two, I'm sold.
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