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M'Kyuun

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  1. Hey @danth, just seeing this. I was thinking those engines looked a bit chonky, but otherwise, the salient details of the ship were present, especially the modularity which was one of the main gimmicks of Blacktron 1. Incidentally, I always thought the frame with it's command pod removed was a bit odd looking myself, but I always figured it would just stay put wherever it landed until another command pod, like the Battrax's, would snap on. Concerning the engines- a bit thick as engines, but I love the look of them as feet.🤤 I must confess, I didn't get the Blacktron symbol from those yellow triangle tiles until you said something, at which point I facepalmed. The fact that they're raised above the wing's surface and form the logo better from certain angles threw me. Anyway, I totally missed the joints on first glance, and was surprised by the mech; wonderful idea for the frame, as it gives it some purpose, and elevates the cool factor. I assume you lose the cargo container as a tradeoff, but if this had been the direction of the set back when it came out, I would have been over the moon. I always liked robots, and by '87 when this set came out, I was in full thrall with everything and anything transformable. I would have gone bananas for this. Heck, if this showed up on shelves, I still would. Great job, man! It's one of the most creative updates of an old Space set that I've seen; few dabble in the dark art of transforming mecha, so I applaud both the concept and execution. Very cool. 👍
  2. I wonder how much stuff has been destroyed from actors shoving everything off a desk , table, etc in anger or frustration? If I did that every time I got pissed, I'd be out hundreds if not thousands of dollars of stuff that I actually cared about. That's what I thought about watching the Guilty trailer. It looks like the usual melodramatic stuff that Hollywood puts out, but I may give it a gander at some point. Saw Last Night in Soho at the theater. It was a matinee on Thursday, and I was the only one in the theater, the first time that's happened in many years. Enjoyed the film; although Anya Taylor-Joy is showcased heavily in the trailer, the film follows the journey of a young woman named Eloise, Ellie for short, played memorably by Thomasin Mckenzie, a relative Hollywood newcomer. Based upon this performance, I'm sure we're going to see a lot more of Ms. Mckenzie. Without spoiling anything that the trailer hasn't already given away, Ellie identifies with a another young woman from the past named Sandy, (Taylor-Joy), and that association leads her on an unexpected path. There's a bit of a mystery/horror vibe to the film. I thought it was beautifully shot, with a lot of very cool effects to illustrate said association between the two leads. Mckenzie is adorable, and her likability and vulnerability keep you invested emotionally with Ellie throughout the film. Both leads gave strong performances in their respective roles, but Mckenzie really carries the film, which is impressive for a young actress whose name I didn't know before entering the theater. I do now. Nod to Matt Smith, the former eleventh Doctor from Dr. Who, for playing a character a bit seedier than the role he's most known for, and playing it well. Diana Rigg plays a good turn as the world weary landlady, Mrs. Collins.
  3. Different strokes. You're correct; my preference is absolutely for realistic details to cross over b/c that's a mechanical reality, and as a former aircraft mechanic, those details matter to me. I can go so far as appreciating Dery's stylistic interpretations of the bot modes, as, IMHO, they improved on the G1 toys' bot modes, often significantly. The color issue is, of course, a matter of personal preference. My own preference is for the toy colors/real vehicle colors. Choosing colors from the animation b/c they're the artifact of the limitations at the time, animation errors, inconsistencies, and simplifications due to the hand drawn nature of the show where the actual colors based on a physical product are known seems odd to me. But, again, different strokes. Nostalgia reaches us all differently, and I can respect that. However as Mike put so succinctly, Takara's focus on the slavish toon aesthetic is pushing us "hybrid apostles" away, and we are envious of the fans who favor the toon aesthetic, b/c they're getting what they want, but there's no second option, besides third party, who incidentally are all moving towards toon 'accuracy' over realism. Seems petty, but everyone wants what they want, and in the MP case, only one party is being served. The upcoming MP Skids is an exception, and I'm curious if Takara is testing the waters to see how the old more realistic, AKA hybrid, style will fare among consumers. I'm down for a copy, the first G1 MP that's interested me in several years. I'm very curious to see how it does in terms of demand, as it may cause Takara to consider different versions of the same characters in the MP line going forward, or at least more 'hybrid' figs. Guess we'll see. I'm glad Pulse is offering MP figs now, as that'll provide a gauge of demand and profitability outside of Japan. Personally, I never felt the need for G1 styled interpretations of characters from Prime. It had its own aesthetic, inspired heavily by Bay's movie designs. I'm not a big fan of Bayformers, but there was enough stylistic interpretation with the show and toy designs that I came to appreciate them for what they are. That said, this isn't the first time that Has/Tak have taken characters from one line and reinterpreted them to fit another, and ultimately, since one continuity generally borrows from another in this franchise, I'm fine with it. We've gotten a number of great toys from this trend: Animated Lockdown and Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown Animated Lugnut and Reveal the Shield Lugnut: and of course Animated Bulkhead, Prime Bulkhead, Bayformers Hound and Legacy Bulkhead: I think Legacy Bulkhead has more in common with the Animated version than Prime, and moreso with Bayformers Hound (possibly an interpretation of the Animated design) which is based on a real vehicle. Honestly, I would have left Bayformers Hound out of the comparison, but I cribbed these photos from the net, and you work with what's available. The Legacy truck mode isn't based on a real vehicle per-se, but like most of the G1 alt modes in the WfC and now Legacy lines, they hew close enough to the licensed vehicles to look the part without having to pay licensing fees. Good compromise, IMO. Anyway, the only real issue I have with Legacy Bulkhead is that he has more in common with G1 Inferno in bot mode than his namesake. Not a dealbreaker, and I'll happily accept him into the fold when he finally releases. That MFT V2 Springer looks great- really nice update to their first go.
  4. Literally just received my SOC GoLion (Voltron), and it's beautiful. All that shiny metal looks amazing, and the toy has some serious heft to it. Articulation is more limited than I thought it would be for both individual Lions and Voltron. However, it does the job as a display piece. I'm not willing to drop $700 for the Blitzway, even though it appears to fix some of the SOC's weak points, especially hiding the legs away in combined form. Love that, but I'm admittedly not a rabid Voltron fan; I didn't grow up with it, I've yet to see the original show, I couldn't get interested in the 2011 show, and I love the Netflix show. That's my history with Voltron. That said, after passing twice before on the SOC version, when it came available again for its second rerelease, I thought I'd finally go for it. I'm glad I did. As for my need for a more articulated and playable Voltron toy, I have MC01 Elvis preordered, and I suspect it will prove to be a rather fun little figure. I like, too, that it will fit in with the rest of my MegaBox toys from 52Toys. At that scale, he'll be a perfect coffee table toy to mess with while I'm watching the tube.
  5. Despite owning a handful of the G1 toys, I never had any of the official tapes as a kid, except Buzzsaw, who came with Soundwave. I had KOs of Ravage and one of Rumble/Frenzy who was molded in red and white plastic. Nevertheless, my love for those little convertible rectangular wafers was ignited, and has stayed with me all these years. I still don't own any of the Dino cassettes, but I keep hoping for decent official ones (likely won't happen), or for good to great 3P, which are far more likely. I've passed on the KFC offerings due to questionable quality, but I keep hoping that Ocular Max will do them, or FT in their current line, which would probably be optimal given their higher than average quality and engineering at the original scale. Just the same, I'm quite enamored of OM's takes on Ravage and Rumble (didn't get Frenzy). their Condors are ok, a little disappointing after handling Jaguar. However, I'm hoping they'll continue to pump out cassette bots in the full size cassette scale until they've covered the whole roster. I'm in agreement that they scale better with MP, and that there was a bit of mass shifting involved with them, like most of the TFs in the old toon. At least we got Ratbat in Siege, but I hear you so far as those cassettes leaving a bit to be desired. Since Hasbro opted to go for a smaller scale with their cassettes, I hope Dr. Wu, whose Beastbox/Squalktalk set I own and really like, will eventually get around to doing all of the cassettes in that scale with much improved engineering and better looking bot modes.
  6. Since the FT cassettes should in all likelihood be compatible with both G1 and MP Soundwaves, I really wanted a copy of these guys for their improvements over their G1 and MP predecessors. They don't really fit in with WfC since they won't fit in ER Soundwave, a legit gripe I've had since the beginning of the line, even though they're ostensibly the proper scale to fit in with the Generations collection. I have both MP and Ocular Max versions on display with my MP Decepticons, but chances are I'll keep MP Ravage and Frenzy in Soundwave's chest, and display the FT versions of them in bot modes. I still can't get over how good FT's Ravage looks.😍 Speaking of Ocular Max, I hope it's not long before they make their Autobot cassettes available for PO. We've been waiting, what, two or three years now since they were first shown, and still no POs. Hopefully soon.
  7. As long as they keep filling out the G1 roster, especially first season, I'm a happy camper. As to the combining figs, I'm right there with you for new Combaticons, although I didn't mind the CW version (still have CW Bruticus on my shelf, upgraded with 3P hands and feet, as well as Takara's Blast off with proper shuttle alt mode). However, judging by Legacy Dragstrip, the engineering has improved over the universal combining peg system from CW, and as Bruticus was always my favorite combiner due to the military alt modes, shuttle being the notable odd exception, I'll happily take an improved version that is hopefully more stable and solid in combined mode. I passed entirely on the CW era Devastator, both Hasbro and Takara, for all the compromises. I hope the Constructicons will get a redo, hopefully all in voyager scale, to allow for both the scale of the alt modes to match more realistically, and to allow for the engineering of the individual bots so that articulation doesn't suffer as it did with the CW versions. I liked any number of the Beast Machines designs, so I'm not opposed to seeing what they come up with. I still think, b/c articulation was really improving by that point, that many of the old toys are well done. I've no interest in the partsforming figs, like the Fossilizers, personally, but I applaud their willingness to try new things within the TF universe, and if these sorts of figs are popular, more power to them. I fervently wish, if they're going to make a new Soundwave, that they'd upscale their cassettes to match the original, realistically scaled, micro-cassette. I vehemently dislike that they downsized them for WfC rather than just maintaining the original scale. Unfortunately, it looks as though they're maintaining the smaller scale for Blaster. Dumb decision, IMHO.
  8. I passed on the first version, as I was trying hard not to get sucked into collecting legends at the time. I've since changed my stance, and bought a number of figs that piqued my interest, including both NA's and MS' Megatrons, the latter of which is just impressive. So, I decided to get their V2, as it's shaping up to be an impressive fig as well, and I much prfer their solutions over NA's for how they impact the final fig (I didn't like the obvious sandwiched windshields on NA's Prime). I'm with you: I don't mind if the sculpt echoes the toon, but I prefer the realistic details of the alt mode, as much as possible, translate over to bot mode, i.e., chrome or silver grill, thighs, fuel tanks, waist, and his stripe around the cab. I agree completely that copying the white b/c it mirrors the animation's poor ability to capture a metallic sheen is ludicrous, especially in an age where we recognize that particular shortfall and understand what it was meant to represent. Moreover, omitting his stripe in cab mode b/c, again, it mirrors the poor quality of the Sunbow animation, is also just ridiculous in my eyes. I can't understand the people who want the deletion in quality and accuracy willingly to match such a poorly and inconsistently animated cartoon. In most cases, I prefer Floro Dery's bot interpretations, which in most instances were an improvement over the lackluster G1 toys, although I like the realistic details that the bot modes brought forth in the G1 toys by necessity. Had CG animation been more advanced and affordable in '84 to be used widespread in animated toons, I'm sure those bot modes would have had all that detail, and we wouldn't be having this dilemma of aesthetics. Alas, we're stuck with the old toon, and the debate over realism or slavish toon 'accuracy', an oxymoron if there was one. Anyway, I hope MS plan to paint the first release of LoJV2 with more toy accurate colors, and not toon accurate. I have a PO for it, but if they go full toon with the paint job, I'll probably canx my PO and wait for the eventual metallic or toy accurate recolor. the fig itself looks amazing, and I really want a good looking Prime to stand alongside their Megatron. In other news: FT Acoustic Wave and their Fenzy on the left, MP Soundwave and Laserbeak on the right. The old MP holds up well, and other than the gappy waist area, I still think I overall prefer it to the FansToys' version. If Takara was to go back and rework that to give the waist the tapered look above the thighs and give him double jointed knees, the rest of the fig wouldn't need much tweaking. Solid toy that's held up very well. If I had to do a top 5 MP releases, I think he'd qualify. Unlike Acoustic Wave, which makes subtle improvements over MP Soundwave, the improvements over Takara's cassettes is remarkable, especially Ravage, which was a huge disappointment after initially seeing what they accomplished with their still awesome Laserbeak. FT improved on all three Decepticon cassettes, but while the improvements are more subtle with Laserbeak, they are quite notable on Frenzy/Rumble, and outright incredible for Ravage, who happens to be my all time fave cassette bot. As a fan of TF cassettes overall, I was smitten at first glance with FT's cassettes, and after initial POs seemed to be sold out nigh everywhere, I finally and gratefully managed to score one. Can't wait to get these guys in hand. I hope FT continue to make the rest of the cassettes at this level. Like Pokeman, gotta catch 'em all.
  9. That's the most likely scenario for a model of this size with articulation. It's a good solution, one I've seen employed numerous times by large mecha builders. Moreover, it provides stability, while also allowing a change of pose, which is the best of both worlds. I honestly figured, if the rumor was true, that the legs would be immobile like the Ideas Voltron and the UCS Hulkbuster sets. So this is good. IIRC, this is supposed to have approx 6,700 pcs, and retail for $800. The difference between this and the Millennium Falcon for pricing, IMHO, is likely due to the heavy use of large Technic gears throughout to accomplish the articulation. as well as a lot of large plates and Technic beams, Still a lot of plastic, but not as many pieces. I assume they'll probably use these turntables for the hip joints, rotated via worm gears, for a very solid yet moveable leg system.
  10. The manner and numbers of their arrival was more striking to me than the costumes themselves, which, yeah, looked more like white hazmat suits than armor. Some cool wirework used in the film. The stillsuit design didn't look much different to my eye than the one used in the old Lynch film, but I did like that we see Paul pull one out of a case and unravel it before we see him wearing it. It's a small detail, but being former military, I can appreciate the implication of its compact and portable nature. Looking forward to Part 2; we caught a glimpse of a Fremen riding a worm, but it was fleeting and with the worm mostly submerged; hopefully Villeneuve will give us a full view of a worm topside for Paul's initial ride. Too, looking forward to his development of the Voice, and his embracing the role of Kwisatz Haderach, a couple of the cooler aspects of the character from the book and previous film.
  11. I've never seen Five Star Stories or L-Gaim, but I've always found the mecha designs from those series to be some of the most visually appealing within the genre. I've always been particularly fascinated by the Jagd Mirage for all the intricate structures and the fragile look of it. I wouldn't doubt that Hideaki Anno took some notes from this and similar Mortar Heads when designing the Evas. Beautiful work, Electric Indigo. Gorgeous kit built gorgeously.
  12. Always wanted Zartan when I was a kid, but never got him. The retail version doesn't color change, so I waited patiently for this. can't wait to have him in hand- love the mask gimmick and this guy comes with six of them. Kinda wish he came with a second outfit to match some of the masks- Zartan with a mask on still looks like Zartan. 😄 Ah well, still happy to have a preorder.
  13. Hans Zimmer is a master of his craft and a boon to whatever project he's attached; if nothing else, you know the music is going to be good, and set the mood. TBH, though, I didn't notice it nearly as much in this film as others that he's scored. I'm sure I'll see this again, though, so upon my next watching (probably before Part 2 releases), I'll be more diligent to notice the music. Again, I tip my hat to the conceptual artists who filled this film with ships and backgrounds that are otherworldly, unique, and beautiful. I kinda wish LEGO had done sets from this; I would have been down for a couple Ornithopters at the very least. After watching this, Lynch's take is going to be a slap in the face followed by a splash of cold water.😄 Big difference in interpretation, but honestly, it's the Lynch film that will likely stay with you over the long term. I was reciting things in my mind from Lynch's film even as I was watching Villeneuve's. And Sting!
  14. Just got back from the theatre. Decades have passed since I read the novel (I've only read Dune), and years since I've seen the Lynch film, whose over-the-top quality sticks with you, both in the visuals and the telling (all that inner dialog, the flying fatman, Sting's Feyd, etc.). All through the film, all I kept hearing in the back of my mind was Alia pronouncing, "He is the Kwisatz Haderach!" 😄 hopefully i didn't just ruin the experience for those of you who haven't seen the Villeneuve film. So Villeneuve's film definitely uses the talent to its advantage, but it's greatly toned down compared to the Lynch film. It nearly perches on the precipice of boring, but there's enough going on between action scenes and quieter scenes to keep you vested. The visuals were outstanding, though, and I want to tip my hat to the conceptual artists who created all the various ship designs, especially that glorious Ornithopter, which was a bit of a star itself. From the very beginning, and with the intro of every new ship, all I kept thinking is this is what the last three Star Wars films were missing. Well, they were lacking a lot more than that😄, but SW has always been a visual funfest under Lucas, and the last three films were flatlining in that department, IMHO. I digress; I think Villeneuve hit all the salient points so far as a decent Dune film goes; the story flows pretty well, and ends at a good point- the end of one existence for Paul Atreides, and the beginning of another in the sequel. I don't recall the much from the book, TBH, as it's the Lynch film that still rings in my memory. To that end, perhaps the over the top nature of that film was its strength, as so much of it has stayed with me all these years, and I doubt I'll say the same about this film in twenty or thirty years. As to Momoa, he's basically himself in every role, take it or leave it. I thought he was fine for the role of Duncan, though. Zendaya's a lovely girl, and Villeneuve wants you to know it with all the glamour shots; we're painfully aware that she and Paul are gonna hook up at some point, but I thought her character warmed to Paul a little too quickly. Too, I get the old trope of ritual combat, but I felt they accepted Paul and his mother a little too easily as well. He followed the rules and killed his opponent, but that doesn't mean instant trust and acceptance come with that victory; he just killed one of your own, a difficult thing to forgive. Anyway, I'm nitpicking. Overall, I thought it was a sedate but good film with absolutely beautiful visuals- a must to see on the big screen if only for that experience.
  15. Small victories, man. Take 'em where you can get 'em. Still waiting on the verdict for the winner of the 90th anniversary set, although I have a really, really bad feeling that Bionicle is going to win. IMHO, Bionicle shouldn't have been a contender- it should have been strictly classic themes. AFAIK, Classic Space was pretty high in the running, though; I'd be ecstatic if it won, as it's still one of my all-time favorite themes, and I'd love to see it make a return, with modern techniques and palette to give it the necessary update.
  16. Yeah, I've noted that Swerve and other characters have become popular due to the comics' depictions; they certainly never got much love in the toon. Anyway, as you said, they took things in different directions, which make the TF universe more interesting. Kinda cool that Hasbro paid homage to the comics over the years with various toys based on those designs; it's a nice validation, and cool for comics fans. Even without having read the comics, I picked up any number of those toys myself. I'm a toy guy, though; I've never needed lore or media depiction to find a toy appealing. Looking forward to getting into the MTME stories.
  17. No kidding. Do they just not want people to be able to buy their products? Transformers are already as scarce as snow leopards in brick and mortar, online exclusives rarer still, and now they want to go to crypto-currency, which I personally know nothing about, as do likely 90% of the population for whom debit cards, cash, and perhaps Paypal, have been the means to acquire things. I just wish everything was sold in stores again in decent quantities without all the exclusivity shenanigans of the past four or five years. They're going to end up alienating all but their most ardent fans if they continue down this road of scarcity and exclusivity. I'm no marketing genius, but it seems to me you make more money buy having your product available. Meanwhile, the scalpers are hanging out in their very nice houses, which they've bought from all the overpriced crap they've sold, rubbing their hands together in gleeful anticipation.
  18. I assume, as they did with Soundwave, that the other three cassettes are going to come in an exclusive pack. Crappy, but that seems to be their way of doing business. Anyway, from a character standpoint, my only knowledge of any of Blaster's cassettes comes from the 86 Movie. (I started reading the comics you sent, but slacked off; guess I need to recommit. I was enjoying them for so little far as I got into them.) My interest in them is totally based on their designs; cramming so much goodness into a small rectangular wafer has always appealed to me.
  19. Kingdom Wave 5 will feature Blaster and Eject. Unfortunately, Eject is molded in clear plastic, which generally doesn't bode well for long term endurance. but the articulation is definitely improved over the previous cassettes. I wish they'd go back and redo them with improved articulation, although I'm secretly hoping Dr. Wu will just eventually do them all. Anyway, Blaster's looking pretty good. I'm a little surprised he's in the Kingdom line instead of 86SS, but either way, nice to have an update that actually holds regular cassettes unlike the CW Blaster. On that note, I hope Ramhorn and Steeljaw get their updates, too, and that they fare better than poor Ravage.
  20. This was the winner in the LEGO Ideas/ Chronicle Books Puzzle fan vote contest, beating out three other submissions by a huge margin. It's set to release in May. I'll definitely be picking this up- I'll probably glue it and hang it in my cave.😍
  21. I appreciate the review, Mike. I didn't bother with Shadow Panther, but after I realized that the transformation was different on Agent Ravage, I decided to order him. He's way overpriced for what you get, but in this hobby, c'est la vie. Anyway, it's nice that they went to the bother of remolding him to more accurately reflect the character as he appeared in the show, and I love the G1 cassettes, especially Ravage, so that's just a nice bonus. Got my copy of Kingdom Rodimus yesterday- a couple minuses, but overall, wow, what a well done fig. I wish they'd somehow been able to employ a similar shoulder hinge as they did with Cyclonus; the body hinged shoulder articulation, despite the limited butterfly joint, is lamentable on a commander class toy. Still, there's a lot of right with this figure, and it's simply impressive. I think it's safe to say it's the best version of him ever released, at least officially. FYI, for those affected, I received notification from Amazon that my Jurassic Park Collab set delivery got bumped out to just before Christmas.
  22. Likewise. Great looking UM, but definitely does not give the impression of a bot wearing armor. Sorry Mike. Not really crazy about the racing livery on those Omnis, except the yellow version of Overdrive; that one looks sweet. I'll be happy to just get all three, FINALLY, in their original colors. Fingers crossed that XTB do a good job on them. I have their Apollyon and Eligos, both of which have their pluses and minuses. I hope the transformation systems for their Omnis are a bit less frustrating. I'd so hoped, with their going full bore G1 and making some more obscure characters in the recent Generations line, that Hasbro would give us some Omnibots, especially when they made Reflector (I know they're calling him Refraktor, but he'll always be Reflector to me), who was also an 80s mail-in figure (which I got as a kid along with Downshift). maybe we'll get them in the Legacy line. I can only hope. So, I got notification from Chosen Prime that FT's Robot Paradise cassette pack is likely going to be available to ship within a day or so. Very, very happy and thankful that I was able to get a PO in for that set. I also got notification from BBTS that my Maketoys Meteor is finally available- been waiting for that one for quite some time. Anyway, thought I'd let folks know in the event they're waiting for the same.
  23. I buy mine primarily from the source or directly from brick and mortar retailers like Walmart, Target, and Barnes and Noble. Most mom and pop kinds of places generally don't have the financial ability to secure supply contracts with LEGO and peddle mostly in used sets. A small marketer selling brand new sets, especially the larger sets, would and should raise an eyebrow. I buy a lot of parts from Bricklink, which itself is now owned by LEGO. However, Bricklink is populated by literally thousands of independently run stores from people all over the world, and those stores are not policed for their adherence to the law; feedback from buyers to the moderators is really the only method of bringing attention to a seller if there's bad conduct or suspicion of the same. So, as always, buyer beware. I'm glad that a wary Amazon employee contacted police, and that, at least for the time, they've put a stop to his operation. Hopefully they nail his suppliers, too. Moreover, shoplifters have become bold, blatantly stealing carts of merchandise without the retailers having much recourse to stop them or protect themselves. Hopefully that's a situation that will change too, as these thieves only serve to drive the costs up as retailers try to compensate for their losses. And the thieves themselves are no doubt among the dreaded scalpers making it difficult to find stuff in stores. I live in WA state, and more often of late private security is being employed for a lot of the bigger retailers. What a shame that it's come to this.
  24. FT's Powerglide looks amazing. I want it, but I dread the Macross Madness levels of difficulty these days in scoring a PO.
  25. Hollywood. I like the actors involved, but having played all the games, this feels more like another generic action adventure buddy film than its namesake, and neither of the leads really feels like Drake or Sully to me.
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