Jump to content

M'Kyuun

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5061

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate the review, Mike. I fear I remain unswayed in my earlier opinion of the fig. Those immobile shoulder stacks just bug me, but beyond that, I just don't really find him all that appealing, and never have. Glad you like him, although I'm sorry that he's not quite the definitive figure you were hoping for. What bugs me is that for the price of admission, members should get their toys before they appear on shelves. Seems a poor way of doing business when retailers are getting their stock before the manufacturer's store. I've had the opportunity to pick up two figs that I have POed and aren't currently due out until next month on Pulse; I left those toys in the store, willing to wait, but the fact that I have to wait for the source's store to send me my toys when I could have cut them out and bought from the retailer at potentially lower prices seems counter to a good business model. I guess they're doing well enough from all the goddamned exclusives and retail contracts that Pulse is really just a write-off side-hustle of no real consequence. It certainly seems to be the low priority for receiving stock, which makes premium membership feel lesser than.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Gotcha; looking forward to your thoughts on it. I'll just say that I lost interest in the fig due to the immobility of the shoulder stacks. Had they been able to rotate as part of the arms, I'd be far more inclined to get him. Too, I have zero familiarity with the character beyond seeing the various iterations of the toy over the years, none of which have ever interested me. Laser Prime just never grabbed me like other bots with whom I had no familiarity have. I'm also curious to see how the rest of the Stunticons pan out, especially Motormaster. I have CW Menasor, but most of those figs left somewhat to be desired, especially in their wobbly combined mode. Judging by how Dragstrip comes apart, it's a fair bet they're going to make Motormaster the gestalt's frame to which the carbots all just attach- essentially, he'll wear them, rather than their actually becoming the limbs. Not really crazy about that approach, but it's toon accurate, and apparently that's what they're aiming for. The major positive from going this direction, one hopes, is far greater stability in combined form. I'd love to see some A-tier engineering applied to Motormaster where the cab and trailer have an all-in-one transformation, and the cab can still rotate in tractor-trailer mode (like CW Ultra Magnus). Personally, I wish they'd started with the Combaticons or a new Devastator, but I'm sure they'll come eventually. SS86 gives them the opportunity to redo Devastator at least. I've never had much interest in any of the Autobot combiners. The Aerialbots would be up my alley, but I detest the boxy G1 designs, especially the atrocious jet modes. If they actually put forth some effort to make the jets sleek and more real-world accurate while approximating their G1 bot modes, I'd be down, but we all know that'll likely never happen with Has/Tak. Heck, the third parties rarely stray from that look. So frustrating for anyone who likes planes.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Having worked on older aircraft in the Air Force (tankers built in the 50s and MC-130s built in the 60s), it's always impressive how well these old birds have outperformed their life expectancies, sometimes by decades, with decades of planned service ahead of them. Somehow, I don't think we'll get the same performance from stuff like the F-22 and F-35.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I wonder if they're doing these under license or, you know, just third-partying it like Transformers? Since Hasbro seems to show no interest in reviving M.A.S.K., despite the how cool the concept is, and its similarity to Transformers, I'm glad to see somebody showing interest in the property. With a really well done toon to help toy sales, M.A.S.K. could be a winner for Hasbro. What kid doesn't like a normal everyday vehicle that turns into a flying vehicle or a tank? the idea of hidden weapons in a car has worked for James Bond since the 60s. There's something intrinsically cool about it that has certainly always appealed to me.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I was thinking the same thing. Wonder what happened to that old helo?
  6. M'Kyuun
    Cool.
  7. M'Kyuun
    It's a shame that few movie and tv vehicles were preserved upon retirement and mostly left to the elements- so much cool cinematic history lost. In the case of Airwolf, as the narrator said, upon retirement from show-business, The Lady was used as an air ambulance in Germany before crashing in '92. Watching this guy's walk-around, I'm reminded what a gorgeous helo she is. 😍
  8. M'Kyuun
    I had the giggles all through this. Good stuff. IIRC, while I was in middle school, on Christmas eve day before they let us out early, since there wasn't much to do, they always played a tv-friendly version of Firefox. I have no idea why that particular movie, and I never really paid much attention to it as most of us were BSing among ourselves or with the teachers. It wasn't until I was in the military that I finally saw it in its entirety unedited. It's hokey but fun- a great Cold War era film w/ good ole' Clint Eastwood. What's cool is that a full-sized mockup was actually built, and the landing gear were motorized to achieve the taxiing/takeoff scenes under its own power. It's still a really neat looking design; I think the Cobra Raven took some cues from both it and the SR-71. I wonder what the Russians thought of the movie and the eponymous plane?
  9. M'Kyuun
    I had none of the toys growing up- pretty limited kid budget and non-affluent parents. But I looked at the toys anytime I saw them in the store, and of course, watched the show. The thought that new, hopefully improved versions of those old toys may become a reality when I now have the disposable income to pick a few up is kinda exciting. My faves would be the Condor, Jackhammer, Raven, Stinger, and the Volcano. The Thunder Hawk is cool, but I always wished it had more of a transformation into its flight mode. Even with those little wing extensions, it seemed pretty ridiculous, in an already ridiculous show, that a car could fly just by opening its gull-wing doors. Miles' Switchblade is cool, too, but would have been more fun had it had a ground mode instead of two flight modes. It just wasn't as much a stretch going from chopper to plane. It looks cool though.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, definitely save the shipping; not like it carries the excitement of a new mold, either. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Laser Prime for ya. To anyone on the board looking for Buzzworthy Silverstreak, I have a spare unopened copy that I'll sell.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Let me know if you get tired of waiting; I bought an extra today.
  12. M'Kyuun
    It's a beautiful toy. Honestly, it'd make for a perfect starter toy into a new M.A.S.K. line- small, affordable, with both a land and air mode and that oh-so- eye-catching bright lime green livery that screams look at me! Hopefully, if Ramen goes ahead with it, they do a good job on the human figs, i.e. durable with full articulation as well as removable /swappable masks (I have recurring thoughts of Sentinel's fall-apart-if-you-look-at-them-askance pilot figs). Even if they make the humans around the same scale as the originals, a small articulated fig is feasible: Mega makes a pretty well articulated fig that's just a tad bigger than the LEGO minifig. Heck, I'd be happy to see Mega get the M.A.S.K. license, as I'm not sure LEGO would be interested. Since Mega was acquired by Mattel, their quality improved dramatically. Too, they make a lot of interesting and useful parts that I wish LEGO would make. I digressed a bit there. Anyway, I'm definitely curious to see how this line comes about. M.A.S.K. could do with a new cartoon, too- something like GI Joe Resolute, Transformers Prime, or Netlix's Voltron, where homage is paid, and it's written at a level that both kids and adults can enjoy.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Nah, man, I don't care. M.A.S.K. had some of the best toys that I never owned growing up, so this is intriguing. While I absolutely dig Gloria's car-cum-sub for its aesthetics, the Thunderhawk is by far the most iconic vehicle from the show, and would have made a better starting toy, IMHO. Intriguing, nonetheless. Incidentally, I always wanted the Condor (green motorcycle that turns into a helicopter), but with limited funds as a kid, I saved all my money for LEGO and Transformers. Anyway, back in 2020 I went to an antique store and found one in good condition, minus the pilot. Regardless, I bought it and it sits on my desk within easy reach where I can look at it and mess with it anytime the whim strikes. The thought of a potential update, and hopefully one that's more complex and cooler, fills me with joy. I always thought the Stinger was pretty cool, too, although so many of the toys in that line rocked. Definitely will be keeping an eye on this line.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Reset mine. Like Vladykins, I've been using the same rather basic password since the early 00s. Sorry to hear about the password reuse issues. We've had it good on this site for many years, many thanks to Shawn, Graham, and all the mods who keep it going and maintain the peace. MW is my primary online refuge from the world, and I would miss it terribly if it no longer was.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Congrats to you as well. Kinda bummed they didn't mold his hands in blue. I gotta wonder what's up with Hasbro and their insistence on always improperly coloring this or that on many of these figs. The shoulders are actually molded in white and painted blue, which is also a little odd; why not just mold them in the right color? Maybe white plastic handles stress better? IDK. Odd choices that make you shake your head and go "Hmmm". I wish they would've spared a little additional silver paint for the wheels, but, y' know, Hasbro.🙄
  16. M'Kyuun
    Pretty much every recolor of MP Skids comes with the bike, just not Skids himself, since the G1 toy didn't come with it either, but the Diaclones did. Sucks, but that's the reasoning. Honestly, I'm not as bummed by the omission as I would be if the bike actually turned into a weapon or usable accessory for bot mode. It's more an accessory for the car mode, as the Honda City Turbo came with a folding Motocompo, hence the addition with Diaclone. Skids just doesn't rate. apparently. So, I decided I was going to go ahead a get a copy of Buzzworthy BBM Bee to go along with the rest of the cast, so off I went to Target. I went to a different Target than this past weekend, and of course, they didn't have it. BUT, what they did have was miles better: Buzzworthy Silverstreak, AKA blue Bluestreak!!! "Oh frabjous day, callooh, callay!", I chortled in my joy (under my breathe, of course- didn't want to frighten fellow shoppers and alert security). As this is a Target exclusive, I figured it'd be as elusive as the Holy Grail or the Lost Ark, and that I'd end up paying too much for it from one of the popular e-tailers, so, I'm quite pleased. Target also had a single copy of Legacy Arcee, whom I considered bringing home, but, like Bulkhead this previous weekend, I left on the shelf, hopefully for a kid to take home. I have all the Legacy figs POed with Pulse, and I'm willing to wait for them.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Some new additions arrived yesterday. CW from upper left: White Noise, Tukuru (Neon Blue), Icarus (jet combiner), Gunpowder, and Havok. White noise is quite literally not as solid as their macaw mold, which IMHO is one of their strongest molds in the entire line. With his wings spread, from the side, you can see right through him. However, in terms of articulation he's pretty much on par with the macaw. Tukuru, IIRC, started out as an exclusive. He's also the only fig in this line to feature heavy use of die-cast, and the weight is appreciable in such a small fig. I love this thing's design- kind of a cross between the Tachikomas and some of the stuff that Boston Dynamics is dreaming up. It came with two guns that can be held in its claw-like manipulators (perfect fit), but I think it would have been grand had it come with a welding torch and some sort of power tool as additional accessories to vary its role. Too, I was happy that the Neon Blue version became available at retailers; initially, they only had the red version, which I had POed, and then canxed in lieu of Neon Blue. Blue looks great. Kinda wish I had a blacklight to make him floresce. Icarus' two components, Eagle and Raven, came in their futuristic jet modes in a rather large box featuring some beautiful artwork. This is the third original combiner fig 52Toys have done; the two previous were construction vehicles and undersea exploration vehicles. Icarus is the first to not require any of the add-on pegs that were included in the box to facilitate combination/transformation. Too, they must have learned from past difficulties removing said pins, as they included a pin removal tool with the set. That's good b/c my construction guys still have a pin I couldn't extricate by hand. Anyway, this set is definitely my favorite of the three. I love the jet modes (they even have retractable gear), and the combined mode has a lanky and, if I may say so, kinda creepy hunched look to it that I dig. Icarus also boasts a rather extensive range of articulation. It does have some wonky proportions, especially the limbs, but considering what it's made of, I don't mind the oddities. All is not perfect, however; while Raven, which resembles the B-1 Lancer in profile, is pretty solid in its jet mode, Eagle's wing areas tend not to tab in as securely allowing the wing areas to be easily moved inadvertently and asymmetrically. More care is required in the handling of Eagle on my copy. That being my only real complaint, I'm pretty happy with Icarus- def my fave of 52Toys combiners thus far. Gunpowder is a nice addition to their growing roster of Arthropods represented in the line. I love the legs, of which the back pair feature an extended bit to give them just a little extra length over the front two pairs. My only real nitpicks are that the abdomen have a rounder more organic shape and terminate in a point like a real wasp, and that the abdomen hinge allow the abdomen to raise as well as lower. Alas, it's a robotic wasp, and the intent was obviously not to mimic the real creature but to create a suggestion of the shape. Too, it has to convert into a box, and the transformation into cube mode was a little more challenging with this one. I managed it without consulting, but it took me awhile to sort it. these things just keep getting more and more complex- good in some ways, a little frustrating in others, but still pretty cool. Finally Havok, the Pterosaur. As a kid I had a large Ptero Zoid that walked and flapped its wings, and I still remember how the wings had these huge cutouts giving the impression of webbed wings. Havok follows suit, to good effect IMHO. The legs are a little weird to me, but they're pretty well articulated, as well as the wings, which allow them to be configured such that he can stand on all fours, a look I particularly like. Havok also features, much like T30 Waspinator, a flapping mechanism that I could have lived without, as it leaves his shoulder joints a little floppy. Regardless, it's still a pretty cool take on the Pterosaur, and the Zoid-like characteristics, including two guns with extendable energy bayonets that can tab into any of several ports on his back and wings, ring that nostalgia bell. Some things are timelessly cool, and the Zoids aesthetic is one of those that, if we 're still here as a species, will still be copied and cool a millennium from now.
  18. M'Kyuun
    NP, and thanks again for the link. Just the nudge I needed. 😊 Nope- the Omnibots and Reflector, but not Skids. I wish the bike was included with the Skids MP release too, but whatever. 😒
  19. M'Kyuun
    Lovely job. Read your write-up. I was thinking the cockpit slope was achieved using the ratcheting plate hinges, but to know it's a Technic liftarm in there is interesting. Anyway, Daniel's original is a great looking model, and your mod to his design turned out beautiful. I'll echo Chronocidal's lament over the need for better cockpit pieces and more cones and complex curved slopes to better compliment shapes such as this. I still can't believe LEGO has never made a shorter complimentary analog to that canopy. Seems a no-brainer piece for them to make, and yet it only exists in our dreams. @Chronocidal Ambitious build with your STS stack. Great job, man. Your tail solution looks nicer than the original. Hope you'll do the crawler, too- kinda completes the scene, ya know? So, for the Classic Space afficionados out there, Disney's Lightyear's director, Angus MacLane, who also happens to be a prominent AFOL, wanted a new windscreen in trans-yellow, so Buzz's ship in the movie has one. Of course, LEGO is no stranger to Disney, and as one would expect, here's the set: XL-15 Spaceship 76832 | Disney™ | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US It's not CS, but it is a sci-fi ship that's not Star Wars, and at this point I'll take whatever LEGO gives me in that regard. Kinda has a Colonial Viper vibe going on. Anyway, looking forward to picking this up in April. Really looking forward to seeing the film, too. "To infinity...and beyond!"
  20. M'Kyuun
    Thanks. I was going to stubbornly hold out for Pulse to restock, but heck with it. Ordered! Guessing you're new around here, hkj711. Appreciate the link. Welcome to Macrossworld. Enjoyed the review, Mike. I never realized how rare the G1 toy was; I remember looking at it in the store when I was a kid and putting him back. I loved the alt mode ( until recently, I always thought it was a Renault Le Car), but I didn't like his arms' shoulder placement or lack of elbows. I loved, and still love, his box art, and wish this fig took more inspiration from how the legs were depicted. I don't know why, but I adore the look of windows in Transformers' legs. Just looks awesome to me., especially when the mechanical bits are visible through them. Anyway, I don't recall ever seeing Skids in the toon, but I'd mostly stopped watching it by mid-season 2- it just got too hokey for me. First season pretty much encapsulates everything I loved about G1 Transformers. Limited view, perhaps, but that's how it is. Like most robot toys, however, it's the toy or a favorable artistic rendition of a toy that piques my interest; no other media required. If it looks cool, I'm down, and such has always been my interest in Skids. He's a unique looking carbot with a very eye-catching deco and that beautiful box art bot mode. I'm happy that Skids is getting a double-helping of toy goodness this year; again, I wish one or the other took inspiration from the box art's depiction of the legs, but niggle notwithstanding, I'm pretty keen on having both the Legacy and MP versions of this guy. I do wish, however, that they'd been more generous with paint on the Legacy toy, at least the bumper and tail lights. Too, red fists to match the original toy. Overall, a nice update. Glad, too, that they gave him both of his silver weapons along with the trans-blue thing (which shall evermore remain in the box) instead of shortchanging him one or the other in lieu of the trans-blue. They've already shortchanged plenty of figs the weapons that came with their G1 toy selves, so it's nice to see Skids wasn't a casualty. Regarding stickers, I'm curious to see if Toyhax will try to replicate the 'window detail' on his legs from the art. If so, depending on how well it's done (be even cooler if it came with a separate bit of acetate to replicate the window itself), i may have to consider a set. Or just paint the thing myself.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Just came back from one of our local Targets, and the only Legacy fig they had was a single copy of Bulkhead. I thought about picking it up, but since I already have it POed, I left it, hopefully, for a kid to take home. They had a number of Kingdom voyager figs, several leader BW Megs, one or two copies of Coronation Starscream, a few Buzzworthy BBM Bee and Origin Bee figs, as well as a handful of Cyberverse figs. actually a pretty good assortment of figs, more than I'm used to seeing in store. I was hoping there'd be a Kingdom or Legacy Blaster in there, but nope. I'm patient, though. If nothing else, I'm guessing he'll show up on Pulse and I'll get him then.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Thing is, it's already been done better: At legends scale and without faux parts. Apart from the single piece loincloth and lack of engine intakes, this is pretty close to perfection in a transformable Blitzwing toy. It's not a matter of if, but how much effort is expended in the engineering. Their Astrotrain is a similar story; very well executed alts and a good looking bot mode, absolutely superior to the terrible Siege toy. Sometimes, in cases such as this and Astrotrain, I wish Hasbro & Takara would just contract out their engineering and let companies like this do the designs. Even if it elevated the price tag, the cost would be worth it to at least get a well done version of the figure rather than some of the lackluster efforts Hasbro peddles.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, none of those interest me, either. Hours later, they're still available for PO, so they don't have the allure of the Generations/SS G1 stuff, which generally sells out within an hour or two of being posted.
  24. M'Kyuun
    So, like Astrotrain, the bot mode looks incredible, but the alt modes take a nosedive. The jet's nose does stick out too far, otherwise tank mode is pretty acceptable. That jet, though- gah! How did that POS design get a thumbs up? It would have been far better had they used the tank kibble for wings instead of putting it all on the bottom. Heck, even if they'd found a way to fold it inwards to cover the turret, it would have been a very slight improvement. But the way it is, it looks like it's riding on some miniature form of the NASA Crawler Transport. Exceedingly poor design. Sigh. Blitzwing is my fave of the triple changers, and I was really hoping this would turn out at least as good as Springer. While the TR toy has its flaws, overall, its alt modes are better than this, leaving only Legacy's bot mode as the improvement we were all hoping for. Improvement should cover all the bases as a point of progress in design, and this Legacy toy falls sadly and woefully short. I want to like it, but my eyes are drawn inexorably to all that horribly obvious kibble on the jet mode. As with the abysmal WfC Astrotrain, it appears I'll be passing and continuing to wait for better. So very frustratingly disappointing. Edit: After posting last night, I took TR Blitzwing down from the shelf for the first time in a while and spent some time reacquainting myself with the fig. In all honesty, he's still a pretty good fig. Aesthetically, I think Legacy's bot mode looks nicer, but in terms of functionality, I give full props to TR. In bot mode, his shoulders are unhindered and can rotate a full 360. The shoulder joints are a little unsightly, but that's the cost of the transformation linkage to which they're attached. In all other regards, he's unmistakably Blitzwing. Other than the lack of ankle tilts and a waist joint, he's on par with Legacy regarding articulation. I kinda tie them out in tank mode- Legacy's tank is brandishing his jet cockpit like some sort of phallus, and TR's tank has those heels poking up, the treads are widely spaced with jet engine exhausts facing forward, and wings draped over the rear. Between the two tanks, I still like the TR better though. Legacy's jet has all that kibble on the bottom to try and represent the same look of the G1 toy, but it's not an appealing look and the kibble lacks even the matching leading edge angle of the main wing that the G1 toy had. As I said, it looks like it has its own mini-carrier permanently attached to its belly. The TR packs all of its tank kibble close to the sides of the fuselage under the wings and presents a sleeker profile. Bonus, TR's cockpit can open and seat a Titan Master. Not my favorite gimmick, but at least it was pulled off well here. Both jets suffer from the tank turret hanging off their bellies, and I wish just one of the designers at Takara would have thought to himself, "What if these toys really strike a chord, and nearly forty years from now, they're still making interpretations of them for millions of nerdy men and women around the world?", and proceeds to design the original Diaclone toy with an eye towards greater accuracy and refinement and full articulation, for Pete's sake! Imagine if the turret on the original folded into the jet mode leaving it clean and streamlined. I can and do, and then I cry bitterly inside. The poorly executed G1 toy has thus become Bltzy's curse for all time, I fear, for though articulation has improved and actual feet have been imparted, that damnable turret, that 'double wing', and more often than not, the exposed jet cockpit in tank mode continue to haunt most modern toy incarnations of the character. Looking again at pics of Legacy's tank mode, there looks to be a fair bit of hollow area behind the robot's head, and I can't help but wonder if PvP mistransformed it and that cockpit does indeed tuck in farther. About a half inch or so would make a difference, at least leaving it about flush with the treads. If the tank kibble on the bottom could rotate 180 placing the angle of the treads forward, I think that'd make a slight improvement to jet mode as well, so far as emulating the look of the G1 toy. Alas, the empty nature of wishing.
  25. M'Kyuun
    My Bumblebee Movie trio of figs showed up yesterday from Pulse, but I didn't discover them on my porch until this afternoon. Anyway, all three proved pretty cool in hand. Wheeljack suffers the most from loose hip joints, but all three were of a satisfying complexity so far as transformation. It's usually a personal point of pride that I can transform most TF toys without instructions, but I think I consulted with all three. Anyway, Has/Tak did a great job in capturing their onscreen likenesses, and I love the vehicle modes they cooked up for all three. I'm looking forward to getting Arcee as well. Makes me sad that Soundwave and Ravage weren't better executed. Went to one of the Targets here in Spokane today to see if they had either Blaster or any of the new Legacy figs, but they didn't. I have most of the Legacy figs POed through Pulse, but I missed the window for Kingdom Blaster, and I'm hoping to snag the Legacy reissue. Def down for Buzzworthy Silverstreak as well. Couldn't help myself and watched a vid of Legacy Sludge; interesting transformation, although I wish the robot toes hinged forward so they filled the gap on his dino belly. Those robot mode toes sticking straight down kinda ruin the look of the dino mode from any angle where they're visible. Two more hinges would have made a big difference. Seems a small thing compared to the relative complexity of the figure- the most complex of the three.
×
×
  • Create New...